GrabOne, a website which offered users deals on experiences, products, and travel, has gone into liquidation. Photo: Screenshot
GrabOne has gone into liquidation.
Daniel Stoneman and Neale Jackson of Calibre Partners said on Thursday they had been appointed liquidators of Global Marketplace New Zealand, which operates GrabOne in this country.
"Due to funding constraints, the business has ceased trading and the liquidators are immediately commencing a sales process for the company's business and assets. As a result, the company will not be promoting any existing or future deals whilst in liquidation," they said in a notice on the website.
"For consumers who hold unredeemed vouchers, the company is unable to provide refunds. Consumers will need to take steps themselves - including contacting individual merchants - to assess how unredeemed vouchers will be treated.
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"For the avoidance of doubt, the liquidators do not adopt any agreement you had with the company personally or otherwise, and the agreement remains between you and the company."
A spokesperson for Consumer said it encouraged people with unredeemed GrabOne vouchers to contact the retailer their voucher was with as soon as possible, to see if it would be honoured.
"Alternatively, if they paid for the voucher by debit or credit they should contact their bank as soon as possible to ask for a chargeback.
"If neither of these steps work, consumers can register their claims with the liquidator."
Retailer PhotobookShop said it had been partnering with GrabOne for over a decade and had already been contacted by hundreds of customers who had vouchers.
The company said it would continue honouring valid vouchers because it was the "right thing to do, especially as many of these vouchers were bought as Christmas gifts".
GrabOne was launched in 2010 and offered discounts on goods and services for local businesses.
It was sold to Global Marketplace New Zealand by former owner NZME in 2021, for $17.5 million.
Marketing expert Bodo Lang, of Massey University, said GrabOne's problem was that it failed to provide value to its target market.
"In other words, its vouchers, which were once upon a time exciting, had lost their appeal.
"A closely related second reason for GrabOne's liquidation is that it suffered from declining top of mind brand awareness. While GrabOne was on everybody's mind and in every dinner conversation some years ago, a lack of brand investment meant that the brand was slowly buried amongst advertising by other brands."
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