Arbuckles

The longstanding Arbuckles brand is about to fade into oblivion as the manchester chain's new owner, Jan Cameron, liquidates stock in preparation to close the stores.

Ms Cameron, the former Kathmandu owner, is expected to use the sites to launch a new chain of homeware stores called Dogs Breakfast Trading Company, which she has already set up in Australia.

Ms Cameron, who has a wealth of $320 million according to the 2008 National Business Review Rich List, bought Arbuckles two weeks ago for $4 million from Postie Plus Group. She took over 13 stores throughout New Zealand, bought all the stock and re-employed most of the staff. Those stores were now advertising closing down liquidation sales.

Arbuckles was founded 35 years ago by John Arbuckle, who started the chain out of a van in Christchurch. He and his wife Vicki sold it to Postie Plus in 2003 for $9.5 million.

Ms Cameron could not be reached directly, but a spokeswoman at Arbuckles' head office in Christchurch said she had told staff she did not want to comment.

Dogs Breakfast Trading Company sells furniture, homeware, crockery and premium pet food, according to the store's Australian website.

Ms Cameron owns a chain of five homeware stores in New Zealand, called Nood. It was not known if she would use some of the former Arbuckles stores to expand Nood.

After winning an end to youth rates at the country's Postie Plus shops the union has now negotiated a national collective agreement for all Postie group members.

Southern Regional Secretary and advocate Paul Watson said the national agreement is a platform for future bargaining in the Postie Plus, Baby City and Arbuckles stores.

"The company is engaging constructively but we still have more to achieve. Youth rates have gone and the new pay and progression bands lift pay by $1.00 - $2.00 per hour for members at the lower end of the scale. But those members on higher rates were offered only 3.5% on their paid rates and the union will be campaigning next year for a better wage increase for this group and others."

Louise Marsters, site delegate at New Lynn Postie Plus and negotiating team member agrees.

"Negotiations went really well but we will achieve more with more members. Getting a national agreement was really important and we can now build on this."