User:Moondyne/Metro Meats

Some notes...

Metro Meats had been around for many years. It was founded by Jack Dobson Sellars, Sam Helpmann (Robert Helpmann's father - Robert was the dancer) and George Ryan in 1926. Major shareholders were the Helpmann family.

Was sold to AdSteam in about 1982. Jack Ware was GM. Already owned numerous meat related assets and expanded greatly in this period. Abattoirs Linley Valley, Katanning, Geraldton, Albany (WA), Noarlunga, Murray Bridge, Wagga, Narracoorte, Peterborough, Orange. Skins businesses, pastoral properties in NSW, QLD. Was also a major smallgoods manufacturer in the E/States with the Presto, Dandy and Metro brands. It had plants at Homebush in NSW and Mount Barker in SA. It had a 50% interest in T&R Pastoral, then a trading company with Metro service processing.

Some assets sold to Australian Meat Holdings Ltd (AMH), a consortium of several big meat players in early 1990s. Like many Adsteam companies, Spalvins transferred large amounts of debt into the subsidiaries who then had to service that debt.

CITIC bought most of remaining Metro assets in about 1992, which were mainly Murray Bridge, Wagga Wagga, Peterborough, Linley Valley and Katanning, Hurtle Sq and the brand. Sale price supposedly about $80M. Idea being that the company would be able to provide cheap bulk protein to feed the Chinese masses. Holding company was named Metro Meats International Limited and most Metro management went across.

Late 90s saw high stock and wool prices which made for difficult trading conditions. Noarlunga, Orange, Geraldton and Albany were dismantled. M/B sold to T&R, Wagga to Cargill, P'borough to Velda, WA plants to WAMMCO, latter in 1999. Brand was deregistered.

- Not particularly useful, but at least it provides two references!!

http://www.delisted.com.au/Company/5367

METRO MEAT LIMITED (MRM) Status: DELISTED from ASX

"name changed from Metropolitan Wholesale Meat Company Limited 23/03/1972"

"taken over by Central Timber Traders (1946) Limited 10/03/1982"

http://www.delisted.com.au/Company/5383

METROPOLITAN WHOLESALE MEAT COMPANY LIMITED Status: See subsequent names

"name changed to Metro Meat Limited 23/03/1972"

Unrelated: Peterborough was (is?) the only place in Australia licensed to kill horses - meat to be sold outside Australia.