Oroton ends Gap partnership

Struggling luxury accessories retailer Oroton will end its partnership with US apparel giant Gap in attempt to turn its business around.

This is the sign a Gap store

Oroton has announced it will close all its Gap stores in Australia by the end of next January. (AAP)

Oroton's plan to close its Gap clothing stores in Australia in an attempt to limit future losses has triggered another fall in its shares.

The struggling luxury handbag retailer says it will sever its four-year partnership with the US apparel brand and will close all six of its Gap stores by the end of January.

The group is trying to stem its losses which included an 11 per cent fall in sales in the nine months to the end of April, compared to the same period a year ago.

Oroton has previously said it expects Gap is will contribute a $3.5 million loss for the 2017 financial year.

On Friday, it said it was too early to quantify the financial impact of the Gap closures.

"This decision will end the group's future investment in the franchise, limiting related future losses," a statement from Oroton said.

The news has unnerved investors who sent Oroton shares down 3.81 per cent, or four cents, to $1.01 by the close of trading.

Citi group analysts in June warned that Oroton could end its ties with Gap, a move they estimated would cost about $6 million.

They said the Gap joint venture had not been profitable and Oroton could exercise an option in February 2019 to end the tie-up by transferring its ownership of half of the joint venture back to GAP in the US.

But, Oroton's announcement on Friday said it had entered a binding agreement with Gap to discontinue the franchise in Australia.

Earlier this week, Oroton secured a six-month extension of a $35 million finance package with Westpac.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world