The expression of interest in Darrell Lea registered with the administrators of the business on behalf of newsagents remains on foot but still a long shot.
There are people at the table with deep pockets and this will be appealing to the administrators and the secured creditors.
Having lodged an expression of interest puts newsagents in the room and this was a key goal. It’s possible we could play a role, somehow, in what emerges from the discussions going on at the moment. If we had not put in an expression of interest this would not be an option.
Expressing interest in Darrell Lea has seen newsagents talked about in a positive light in the media over the last two weeks. This alone raises our relevance in the eyes of the public. In fact, this became clear in an interview I did with a radio station yesterday. We got to have a good discussion about newsagents and their relevance and the changes we are all chasing.
There are some in the channel talking down newsagents having a crack at Darrell Lea. Working on change is harder than criticising it.
Darrell Lea on the News last night closed 30 of its shops leaving 32. My Agent/Supplier is now suddenly able to get plentiful supplies of Darrell Lea and they are going to do their Fathers Day Bags in the right Numbers (90% sure). It appears that to sell their product they are finally going to again take seriously their Agency and Sub Agency Network. If true good news.
I agree Peter. Hopefully newsAgents are a key part of this.