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Robinsons’ withdrawal after 162 years of operation here caught many Singaporeans by surprise, but it appears that the companies that have been working with Robinsons were also in the dark about the retailer’s departure from Singapore.
Dinnerware store Lovera Collections took to Instagram yesterday (October 31) to share their difficulties in their interactions with Robinsons since the sale was announced.
Speaking to AsiaOne, owner Vera Ong, 34, shared that she had heard the news from The Business Times on Friday morning (October 30).
It was then that he went to check and found that his August and September sales had not been paid. When he tried to make contact with his regular Robinsons contact, he was informed that the person was no longer working for the company.
Although he has since regained his existing shares, Ong stated that Robinsons still owes him approximately $ 6,000 in unpaid sales figures.
It was only in the afternoon that the liquidators sent an email to inform the companies that had assets on consignment at Robinsons that the company was going to be liquidated.
“They asked us to support them to continue selling our products in the store,” said Ong.
“They also gave a date for a meeting of creditors in late November and a form to fill out for the amount they owed us.”
It was then that he decided to take action to reclaim the remaining stock he had at The Heeren. He was initially told that the liquidator had to give his approval on Friday, but since they couldn’t be reached, he came down on Saturday and managed to bring back nearly 250 pieces of dinnerware that had been consigned with Robinsons, about $ 5,000 in retail value.
Another supplier who is owed a “substantial amount” is Intero Enterprise Pte Ltd, a wholesaler of bedding and men’s clothing. Owner Patrick Goh, 59, shared that his company has not been paid for sales made in September and October.
“I have been emailing the finance department since October for payment, but there has been no response,” he said, adding that “the loss that [his company] incurred is unimaginable. “
Since his company has been in the Robinsons business since 2006, the sudden closure caught him off guard. This was also because the Robinsons staff had been discussing promotions and sales for Black Friday, Christmas and Chinese New Year with him, so he had the impression that everything was normal at Robinsons, and these conversations were taking place until well into the middle. -October.
He came down on Friday to remove all items belonging to his company from both Raffles City and The Heeren and, although the liquidator had tried to detain him, after he showed documents showing that he owned the goods, he managed to recover them from the stores.
“This has been quite disorganized as we were not informed in advance that we must show proof of ownership before we are allowed to take the property that belongs to us,” he told AsiaOne.
[[nid:507264]]The owner of Pew Pew Patches, which sells embroidered iron-on patches and stickers, Dawn Bey, 30, was also affected by the sudden closure of Robinsons.
“They were planning the Black Friday sales [with me]And honestly, this was very sudden, even for the staff, ”Bey said.
After hearing that other vendors had recovered their stock, he went to Robinsons stores today (November 1) and recalled his products.
Bey said: “There was a lot of confusion and we were getting bits of information from people everywhere. I decided [take my goods back] because I doubt they will pay me for the last two months and current sales. “
For both Ong and Bey, this is not the only company they have worked with that has gone into liquidation this year. Ong noted that HonestBee still owes him $ 3,000 and that Bey was informed at a settlement meeting that Gallery & Co. would not pay any of the vendors. Both companies announced their closings earlier this year.
AsiaOne has contacted Robinsons for comment.
