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About a third of the stores in the BBQ Factory chain are being shut in a bid to stem losses.
John Williamson, chief executive of BBQ Factory owner Hellaby Holdings, said it was believed the BBQ Factory would be more profitable with a smaller number of stores.
BBQ Factory, bought for $25.6 million in 2004, had been making pre-tax and interest charge losses of about $2 million a year.
BBQ Factory stores at New Plymouth, Invercargill, Hastings and Palmerston North have recently closed, while stores in Nelson, Taupo and Timaru will close soon. The restructure will leave 13 stores, mostly in the upper North Island, along with others in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Apart from the BBQ Factory business, Hellaby was performing well, Williamson said.
