Late delivery forces firesale

Noah Hickey is forced to firesell $1m worth of children's clothing. Photo / Dean Purcell

Former All Whites football star Noah Hickey is at the centre of a $1 million business deal that went awry.

His clothing label, YmamaY?, is having to firesell $1m worth of children's garments after nationwide chain Farmers refused to take the order.

Hickey, 31, said events out of his company's control, including a snow storm in China where the garments were made, resulted in the delivery arriving late in New Zealand.

"With all department stores there are terms, there's a deadline. It wasn't huge, it was less than a week, but it was out of our control.

"We were disappointed in how it happened, but it's by the by now."

Now the company is selling the unwanted clothes at $40 or less a garment at its premises in Grafton, Auckland, and a Gull service station in Ti Rakau Dr, Botany, from next Thursday.

The sale features children's latest fashions including skinny jeans and cardigans.

Hickey refused to say how much profit he might have missed out on.

However, he said he would more than break even, if all the garments sold.

The company website lists 25 Farmers stores from Whangarei to Dunedin as their stockists. YmamaY? has been supplying the chain for two-and-a-half years.

Hickey said the company was now supplying to 32 stores in Australia, as well as children's stores in Newmarket and Remuera in Auckland. "When we found out it's not going to be all go, we turned it around."

In a written statement, Farmers managing director Rod McDermott declined to comment, saying it was "commercially sensitive and confidential".

But he said terms and conditions signed by a supplier stipulated that an order could be cancelled if a delivery deadline was not met. "The product was not delivered on time and the order was cancelled."

The children's clothing market is very competitive and the Farmers chain stocks around 15 labels.

Hickey debuted for the All Whites against Papua New Guinea in 1997. He also played for Finnish team Tampere United as a striker from 2001 to 2003. He announced his retirement from football in May 2007 after 10 years, 37 matches and seven goals for his country.

Hickey joined YmamaY? in 2001 and counts Marc Moore of fashion label Stolen Girlfriends Club and Steve Dunstan from Huffer as mates.

Yesterday he presented the much-anticipated World Cup draw along with TVNZ sports presenter Jenny-May Coffin.