Kleenmaid closure came as shock to all

An email sent at 5.25pm last Thursday was how Wollongong Kleenmaid franchisee Chris Lozenkovski learned he had lost his business and livelihood.Mr Lozenkovski, who has owned the franchise for the past 81/2 years, said he was shocked by the news - which came after the media announcement - informing all franchisees that the Kleenmaid group had gone into voluntary administration at 4pm that day."To our knowledge, everything was going smoothly and we were going to have a cracker of an Easter," Mr Lozenkovski said."We've had one of the best quarters as an independent store since 2006 - but that wasn't across the board."All stock has now been compounded and, as customers face the loss of deposits and void warranties, Mr Lozenkovski said he wished he could do more to keep them informed."We're not hiding from anybody, we're devastated by it," he said. "I've got to sort this mess out as best I can. I'm born and bred from Wollongong and I'm going to be staying here for a long time."You can be cold as and say this is Kleenmaid's problem ... but that's not my make-up. I feel for people - I just have no answers."Three full-time staff, plus a delivery driver and two service staff also contracted to Kleenmaid, now face job losses."I just hope they find something salvageable," Mr Lozenkovski said."Administration is not liquidation and customers need to understand there are 31 days to try to salvage whatever is salvageable."Cunningham MP Sharon Bird said although the news would be devastating to those who had lost their jobs, she believed the Government's $650 million Local Jobs Fund would be a benefit in these difficult times. She urged anyone who had lost their job to contact Centrelink."It's important to ... let us provide help as soon as possible," Ms Bird said."People can take heart in the fact that there are some industry sectors that are still holding up, such as aged care and the grocery sector."The Kleenmaid customer service centre will open tomorrow and anyone with queries can call 1300 652 100.