On 11 December 2019, Harris Scarfe was placed into receivership with Deloitte Restructuring Services appointed voluntary administrators.
Harris Scarfe sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel across 66 stores around the country, but it best known in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. More than 1,800 staff are employed and annual sales total $380 million.
Voluntary administrators confirmed business as usual over the Christmas period with employees continuing to be paid. Gift cards and lay-by deposits will be honoured in full.
This announcement quickly followed the sale of Greenlit Brands’ general merchandise division comprising Best & Less, Harris Scarfe, Debenhams Australia and Postie New Zealand to private equity firm, Allegro Funds, in early December.
Greenlit Brands remains a wholly owned subsidiary of Steinhoff International Holdings and its core household goods division includes Fantastic Furniture, Freedom, Snooze, Plush, OMF, Unitrans and FutureSleep, comprising 319 retail stores and more than 3,800 employees across Australia and New Zealand.