Sumosalad

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Westfield shopping centre manager Scentre Group has rejected SumoSalad's claim that increase in other food outlets at its centres was hitting its sales, saying sales growth has in fact outpaced the increase in retailers.
Retail space allotted to "food catering" has grown by 4.5 percent since 2008, but sales for food catering rose by 6.8 percent, Scentre chief executive Peter Allen told The Australian Financial Review in an escalation of the landlord-tenant battle.
Fast food chain SumoSalad put<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/expert-insights/investing/71650-sumosalad-puts-two-outlets-into-voluntary-administration-in-rent-dispute-with-landlord-westfield" target="_blank"> two of the 20 companies</a> in the group into after trying to negotiate cuts in leasing charges over six months with Westfield. The move was aimed to force Westfield to the negotiating table. 
SumoSalad CEO and co-founder Luke Baylis said the dispute arose after the shopping centres decided to dramatically expand the number of food outlets within shopping centres.
But Allen was of a different view.
"What we are seeing is that our productivity, our sales per square metre is increasing. So even though we are increasing [food catering] space, retail is doing better," Allen said at the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce retail briefing in Sydney.
"We have got to be very careful we don't mix up what we are trying to do in terms of having a competitive environment with the business performance of retailers."
Scentre and SumoSalad were still negotiating, he added.
"SumoSalad, that's a franchisee model. How good is the model, we don't know," he said.
Allen said each mix of retailers has been curated carefully, and an increase in outlets was a means of wooing more shoppers.
Westfield’s focus on ensuring that retailers were profitable by having a profit formula shared by both parties is part of its strategy to counter the threat from online shopping.
"We have a a population which is growing and we are taking a bigger share of that catchment. We are not taking from other retailers in the centre," Allen said.
He received support from Harris Farms Markets co-founder Catherine Harris, who was also on the panel on Thursday.
Harris said landlords had changed and were collaborating with tenants rather than working against them.
"I find that centres want to genuinely help retailers. That's a huge change from 10 years ago when landlords say they are the boss," she told the AFR.
If smaller retailers were not able to make it work in "larger centres", smaller neighbourhood ones or going independent were options, but only if the brand was strong enough, she said. 
"You can go to a neighbourhood centre, but you need the brand to bring in shoppers. And big centres do that for you," Harris said.
Harris Farm have recently snapped up a commercial strata space that they occupy at 24-30 Springfield Avenue, Potts Point for $11.75 million. 
Eric Lundberg and William Shen of TGC handled the sale which represents $11,900 per square metre.
It was sold returning $1.046 million nett PA. 
TGC noted "Woolworths recently signed up for a second store in the area and Aldi were also keen to open a supermarket in the area but are finding it difficult to secure a 1500 sqm box."
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Westfield's Scentre counters SumoSalad shopping centre lease claim

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The financial advisory and restructuring firm Ferrier Hodgson have been appointed voluntary administrators of the parent company of the SumoSalad Group. “The administrators now control the group’s operations and are assessing the group’s financial position,” Kelly advised SumoSalad’s creditors.
Morgan Kelly and Peter Golhard were appointed voluntary administrators of the Sumo Group HQ on July 18 pursuant to Section 436A of the Corporations Act 2001, Ross Greenwood's 2GB Money News reported.
The administrators indicated "the group's operations are continuing to trade the business in the ordinary course."
The company’s first meeting of creditors will be July 30. 
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A second meeting of creditors will be held on or before August 22 unless the court extends the date.
It is business as usual for the shop outlets, just the HQ which is needing a recapitalisation.
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Last June SumoSalad put two of its companies into administration in order to force its retail landlords to negotiate over lease payments. Last July the fast-food franchisee had reportedly managed to negotiate lower rents from reluctant landlord Westfield through its tactic of insolvency laws.
Its founder Luke Baylis put two of its companies, Sumo Westfield Leasing Pty Ltd and Sumo Leasing Pty Ltd, which held leases of about 23 SumoSalad outlets, into administration last June saying it would not have an impact on the rest of the network's 104 stores still continuing with business as usual.
This week Baylis told Inside Retail that while the operations of the business would be in the hands of the administrators, he expected the Sumo fresh food stores to continue trading as normal while the business is restructured – a process that is likely to take between 35 and 60 days.
There are more than two companies in administration this time:
Sumo Group Australia Pty Limited (ACN 107852335)
Sumo IP Holdings Pty Ltd (ACN 147743084)
Sumo Salad (Frenchising) Ply Limited (ACN 110 387 061)
Sumo Marketing Fund Pty Ltd (ACN 1,6920202)
SumoSalad Store Development Pty Ltd (ACN 106886800)
Sumo Salad Group Services Ply Ltd (ACN 142590707)
SumoSalad (Corporate Stores) Ply Limited (ACN 106886793)
Sumo Salad Leasing 2 Pty Limited (ACN 148842433)
Sumo Salad Consolidated Leasing Ply Limited (ACN 6,6940571)
SumoSalad International Frenchising Pty Ltd (ACN 1,4325629)
SumoSalad Singapore Frenchising Ply Ltd (ACN 153971781)
SumoSalad NZ Franchising Pty Ltd (ACN 102550694)
Sab Closed I Pty Ltd (ACN 142790001)
Property Observer gathers Ferrier Hodgson were initially contacted by Luke Baylis in late June to consider the appointment as voluntary administrators to the group. Morgan Kelly and Phil Quinlan attended a meeting with Luke Baylis and Glenn Toohey, CFO of the group, on July 3.
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