PAS leaves a trail of creditors
App means end of line
THE retail group behind Black Pepper, Review and Yarra Trail went into administration owing creditors almost $10m.
A slew of retail-focused technology companies, the Commonwealth Bank and high-profile catering business Peter Rowland Group have emerged as major creditors to PAS Group.
The retail group, whose stable of brands also includes Jets
Swimwear, fell into voluntary administration in May.
Chaired by former Target and Billabong International boss Launa Inman, the listed retailer had 218 stores and concession outlets and employed 1200 staff at the time it called in administrators.
Its wholesale arm designs and manufactures clothing for Target, Kmart, Myer, David Jones and Big W. A report from administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers released earlier this month shows a group of more than 60 suppliers are owed almost $758,000.
Among them is caterer to the stars Peter Rowland Group, which is owed $46,667.
Accounting firm Deloitte has emerged as the biggest unsecured PAS Group creditor, having claimed $55,000 for unpaid services.
The Australian arm of Google says it is owed $64,588 while Amazon has claimed $40,956.
WOOLWORTHS is rolling out a new online shopping tool to help combat spikes in customer traffic at supermarkets and better manage queues caused by virus restrictions.
For the first time, customers will be able to view real-time data on shopping activity, telling them if there are queues and how long those queues are.
Woolworths first applied for a trademark for its new technology, called Q-Tracker, in May, at the height of the first COVID-19 wave.
It is one of the latest pieces of technology to be used by retailers as they struggle to maintain smooth flows of customers through stores while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Q-Tracker uses real-time data to show the lengths and waiting times of any queues outside stores, with customers able to search their preferred stores by postcode or suburb.
Woolworths shoppers will also have access to an overview by store.