Nightclub deal drama hits court
A RIGHT-HAND man for the owner of a city nightclub institution is accusing a rival bar boss who bought all its equipment of commercial sabotage.
Trevor Park – director of a company that is the new majority owner of Shooters club – makes the claim in a Supreme Court affidavit, which is denied by rival club boss Tim Martin.
Mr Martin’s company Zaks Sky Pty Ltd has snapped up “anything not bolted down” at Shooters. The deal was inked last year with the club’s ex-operating company Shooters JV Pty Ltd which is in liquidation.
The only thing stopping Mr Martin, who runs Sin City and Bedroom across the road, from removing the contents of Shooters is a legal dispute about the validity of the sale.
In his affidavit, Mr Park said removal of Shooters’ assets would cause “considerable disruption” because of the job to dismantle equipment and loss of screens playing film clips.
“There would inevitably be significant expense in deploying the assets in any other
venue (particularly where many have been crafted to suit the specific needs and physical dimensions of Shooters,” Mr Park said. “I can see little value apart from the disruption which would be caused to Shooters.”
Mr Martin rejected sugges- tions he did the $99,000 Shooters equipment deal aiming to “disrupt their business”.
“It’s untrue. My company is in contract on another venue and the equipment I purchased will be used for that,” Mr Martin said.
Documents filed in the Supreme Court show the sale include sound systems, lighting, video cameras, TVs, fridges, tables, stools, and an ice machine.
Mr Martin inked the deal with Shooters’ former operating company Shooters JV Pty Ltd near when it was put into liquidation last year, owing $506,000 in rent.
The venue in Orchid Avenue’s Mark building in Surfers Paradise reopened two months later. It now operates under new firm SP Venues Pty Ltd and majority owner is Mark landlord Hagop Didizian’s firm Hachma International (Australia).
Hachma is disputing the Shooters deal but liquidators have taken Hachma to court aiming to enforce the deal.
Mr Park’s affidavit says Mr Didizian was “never consulted” about the sale of Shooters’s assets and “he does not consent”.