Wednesday 6 July 2022 10:00 AM Ex Sneakerboy worker lifts the lid on what it was like at the luxury shoe ... trends now
Furious employees have lifted the lid on what it was like at Sneakerboy in its final months before the cult luxury shoe company went under.
Customers had been bombarding the chain with negative reviews for weeks, lashing the company for failing to fulfill thousands of shoe orders.
And on Tuesday, an administrator was appointed for Sneakerboy and two other companies using the Sneakerboy name to recoup what it could after it went into administration on Saturday.
On Wednesday, its website and the website for its parent company Luxury Retail Group went dark.
Now, a whistleblower has told Daily Mail Australia that staff at Sneakerboy are furious about the fallout - claiming some are owed more than six months' worth of pay.
The anonymous worker said staff had been trying to get a hold of the owners but there had been 'no response'.
'Some staff cannot afford to pay their rent or buy groceries. This has been continuing for over six months,' he said.
'There have been multiple complaints lodged and are ongoing with Fairwork.'
The Fair Work Commission confirmed it had 'ongoing investigations' into Sneakerboy and urged any workers with 'concerns about their pay or entitlements' to contact the commission directly.
Well-known businessmen Nelson Mair and Theo Poulakis each own half of Sneakerboy through holding companies, according to regulator filings.
Well-known businessmen Nelson Mair and Theo Poulakis each own half of Sneakerboy through holding companies, according to regulator filings
Customers had been bombarding the chain with negative reviews for weeks, lashing the company for failing to fulfill thousands of shoe orders (pictured, a Sneakerboy customer)
Despite being listed as open online, Sneakerboy's flagship store in Sydney appears to have been closed for a significant period of time
Luxury Retail Group is similarly split between Mr Poulakis and Mr Mair, via four entities.
Mr Poulakis is the brother of John Poulakis, the multimillionaire founder of luxury fashion house Harrolds.
John narrowly avoided conviction when he pleaded guilty to trying to smother his elderly mother with a pillow and trashing his parents' home in 2018.
Mr Mair and Sneakerboy have been contacted for comment.
A statement on the Sneakerboy website claims the administrators will deal with customers waiting for their orders.
'Sneakerboy is in Administration. All orders from July 2, 2022 will be fulfilled by the Administrators moving forward,' it read.
'All orders pre-dating July 2, 2022 please contact Hamilton Murphy on (03) 8866 7600.'
On Saturday, the Australian Securities and Investments (ASIC) published a notice stating Stephen Dixon of Hamilton Murphy Advisory would be the administrator for Sneakerboy Pty Ltd and the two related companies using the Sneakerboy name.
Dixon was also appointed as administrator for Luxury Retail Treasury Pty Ltd and Luxury Retail Group Pty Ltd, Sneakerboy's parent company.
The high-end sneaker store has seen its Google review rating plummet as angry customers demand refunds
Sneakerboy is popular among sneaker fans and sells high-end footwear including Balenciaga shoes valued at over $1500
Sneakerboy previously launched a surprise online warehouse sale in June, where it offered discounts of more than 70 per cent on some items. It also currently has an online-only sale offering huge discounts through its website
A meeting of creditors is now scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 13.
A statement from the administrators read: 'As Administrator to the Sneakerboy Group of Companies, Hamilton Murphy Advisory is aware that a number of customers have pre-purchased stock prior to Sneakerboy entering Administration on 2 July 2022.
'As part of the Administration process, Hamilton Murphy Advisory is urgently reviewing stock and inventory levels held by Sneakerboy and consolidating that information for customers and creditors.
'As soon as all of this information has been collated, the Administrator will be in contact with all customers to discuss their customer orders within the week.
'We are urgently expediting this part of the Administration process as we understand the concern that
