Rapid Holiday Sale Secures Jewellery Brand Legacy and Protects Jobs


Secrets International Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries (‘the Group’), an Australian luxury retail brand specialising in ethical jewellery, faced a severe cash crisis, threatening the immediate viability of the business during the critical December peak trading period. Within days, FTI Consulting Senior Managing Directors John Park, Kate Warwick and Kelly Trenfield were appointed Voluntary Administrators and engaged to immediately stabilise operations, manage complex e-commerce and stakeholder requirements and conduct a rapid sale process to protect more than 100 jobs and preserve the brand’s long-standing legacy.

Our Impact

  • FTI Consulting successfully sold the business as a going concern during the Christmas holiday period, ensuring the survival of a long-standing Australian retail brand and securing a new owner and trading partners to position the Group for future commercial success.
  • The sale to an international strategic buyer preserved more than 100 jobs and the brand’s 25-year legacy was secured.
  • Business continued with minimal disruption, while we managed critical relationships across retail operations, including employees, customers, landlords, suppliers and lenders, with strong stakeholder support underpinning the continuity of operations.
  • We minimised financial and reputational losses by transitioning the majority of leases to the new owner and fulfilling hundreds of outstanding custom orders, satisfying both landlords and the existing customer base.

Our Role

  • FTI Consulting rapidly mobilised a multidisciplinary team of experts to take immediate operational control of the business during the peak December retail period, managing complex trading policies, consumer law matters and inventory optimisation strategies.
  • The team executed complex stakeholder and statutory management by coordinating digital marketing and online retail strategies while simultaneously conducting deep-dive investigations into the Group's affairs and managing a high volume of creditor claims and reporting requirements.
  • We stabilised the business through rigorous financial and operational rationalisation, including precision cashflow forecasting, management of integrated e-commerce and payment platforms and a strategic store portfolio review to minimise losses and enhance profitability for the new owner.
  • Our experts orchestrated a high-speed sale process, leveraging our global network to contact local and international strategic and financial buyers, engaging with more than 85 interested parties and facilitating intensive due diligence during a challenging holiday window, ultimately securing a sale of the business as a going concern in just five weeks.

“[FTI Consulting’s] guidance helped our team navigate an incredibly challenging period with confidence, and [their] approach ensured that we could focus on what mattered while [they] managed the complexity around us.” — Adrian Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, National Support Office, Secrets Shhh

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Related Information

Published

June 01, 2026

temp Key Contacts

Kate Warwick

Senior Managing Director, Head of Australia Retail & Consumer Products Practice

Kelly Trenfield

Senior Managing Director

Callum Greig

Managing Director

Jess Harman

Managing Director

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