Auckland florist Wild Poppies has entered liquidation 31 years after the business was first registered.

The liquidation notice was published on the Companies’ Register on Tuesday evening (May 26).

Adam Botterill and Damien Grant have been appointed liquidators of Wild Poppies and will investigate the company’s accounts, check for possible malpractice, and seek to return money to creditors.

These creditors are owed around $413,000, according to the notice.

Wild Poppies is continuing to sell through its “online-oriented” business. Its Ethel Street site, which served as a retail space and distribution centre for the business, was repossessed by the landlords, according to the NZ Herald. 

The liquidators said the business’s struggles were a product of declining sales amid increasing costs, poor marketing advice, operational changes, and an inability to secure funding.

“After taking professional advice, the shareholder(s) of the company elected to place the company into liquidation,” the notice added. “We are also aware that there was an active legal proceeding against the company at liquidation.”

First registered in 1995, Wild Poppies was incorporated three years later. In the early 2000s, the business’s owner, Kerry Bradburn, announced plans to use its large-scale site to pivot to e-commerce, making it one of the country’s earliest adopters of online retail.