The administrator of REDgroup Retail, Ferrier Hodgson, has announced as part of the company restructure, a further six Angus & Robertson stores in Australia will close
The closures will take place over the next four weeks and will affect 55 staff made up of 18 permanent full-time and part-time and 37 casual.
The stores being closed are located across the east coast of Australia including Collins Street in Victoria, Top Ryde in NSW and Woden Plaza in ACT.
In a separate announcement, Ferrier Hodgson said eight bookstores located in New Zealand universities will be sold.
It will sell the Bennetts business, which operates stores at the Massey University campuses – Palmerston North, Auckland and Wellington; Waikato University Hamilton; Waikato Polytechnic; Christchurch Polytechnic; Manukau Polytechnic and Bennetts Government Bookshop Wellington.
The purchaser is Bennetts Bookstores Limited, a newly incorporated entity owned by a New Zealand private investor and former owner of New Zealand textbook retailer VOL.1 Bookshops, Geoff Spong.
Administrator Steve Sherman said he was delighted to have found such a suitable buyer for the business.
“This is a very good match,” he said. “The Bennetts business will continue to serve the New Zealand universities market. Importantly, this guarantees the future of these stores and has preserved more than 30 jobs.”
Sherman also said the sale process for REDgroup Retail’s New Zealand business is continuing with positive bids currently being assessed.