Australian Motorcycle Industry News
Peter Stevens Motorcycles
The retail arm of Peter Stevens Motorcycles, encompassing the Peter Stevens dealership network and Harley Heaven locations, has entered voluntary administration.
This division was formally separated from Peter Stevens Importers in January 2023, when Jessica Chiodo-Reidy, daughter of Vince Chiodo, assumed full ownership and operational control.
The retail business includes the customer-facing dealership network and also holds the Australian distribution rights for Zero Motorcycles.
It is important to stress that this retail group operates entirely independently of Peter Stevens Importers—the wholesale entity responsible for the import and distribution of brands including Triumph, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa, and Piaggio.
The Peter Stevens retail business is also completely separate from accessories wholesaler Monza Imports. In 2019, John Chiodo took full ownership of Monza Imports. Subsequently, in 2021, Steve Chiodo and his son Paul acquired complete ownership and management of Peter Stevens Importers, Fox Racing Australia, and PSI Cycling. Jessica Chiodo-Reidy divested all interests in the wholesale operations prior to taking over the retail business in early 2023.
The voluntary administration process will now be overseen by KordaMentha Restructuring, and it remains to be seen whether this action has come in time to prevent further deterioration of the business’s financial position.
Peter Stevens Motorcycles has long been a cornerstone of the Australian motorcycle retail sector, and we sincerely hope the business is able to restructure successfully and emerge in a stronger position. Our thoughts are with all staff across the dealership network during this uncertain time.
In the meantime, urgent discussions are no doubt taking place across the Australian motorcycle industry, as suppliers of both motorcycles and accessories assess their exposure to the retail group.
There is significant concern that the financial impact could ripple further across the entire motorcycle industry if not managed carefully.
It is also anticipated that KordaMentha will hold discussions with affected stakeholders in the days ahead that could include the possible sale of assets to recover outstanding debts.
In the short term at least, we believe the dealerships will continue trading. However, I would expect that some suppliers will be visiting stores in the coming days to try and retrieve any stock that has not yet been paid for.
As it currently stands, Peter Stevens Importers and Monza Imports have no ownership or financial stake in the Peter Stevens retail dealerships. Their exposure, if any, is believed to be limited to the same commercial terms that apply to other distributors and suppliers across the industry.
