Godfreys was my life’s work – I was the star of its iconic TV advertising campaign. This is my account of the downfall of Australia’s favourite vacuum business

The former boss of Godfreys, who starred in the iconic adverts, has issued a scathing assessment of the recent business model after it fell into government control after almost a century of business.

Godfreys, founded in 1931 during the Great Depression, announced Tuesday afternoon that it would close 54 stores and cut nearly 200 jobs over the next two weeks.

Failing consumer confidence and poor spending in times of high inflation, rising interest rates and intense pressure on the cost of living were cited as reasons for its demise.

But 80-year-old John Hardy, who was CEO of Godfreys for almost three decades and was the face of the vacuum cleaner company’s energetic TV ads, blamed the business model that followed his departure..

“It’s a very sad day when your life’s work just goes up in smoke,” Mr Hardy told Daily Mail Australia.

“When I left and they changed direction, I knew it wouldn’t last long. But what a shame. It’s a tragedy.’

The former CEO left three years ago after a dispute over the company’s direction.

Mr Hardy is best remembered by most Australians as the face of Godfreys, who starred in iconic advertisements for more than 35 years.

The commercials often included a quick sales pitch in which he demonstrated the power of a vacuum cleaner’s suction by lifting bowling balls or containers of jabs.

‘But only at Godfreys!’ was his closing slogan.

Mr. Hardy first served as CEO from 1983 to 2010 and for a second time in 2016-2017.

“I think it was a fantastic company for many years, but then unfortunately it lost its way and they tried to take it in a completely different direction… and it failed,” Mr Hardy said.

“I was in the business for 50 years and it was very profitable when I left.”

He added: ‘If you go away from the formula, it doesn’t work anymore.’

Mr Hardy returned as CEO for a short period in 2018 after visionary co-founder John Johnston bought back the company at the age of ’99 and three-quarters’.

But when Mr Johnston died shortly afterwards, the business began to suffer, Mr Hardy claims.

“I left and watched it go downhill for three years, which was a real shame,” Mr Hardy said.

‘It’s not the same place anymore. The culture is different.’

He added: ‘We sold a lot of vacuum cleaners and the business was extremely successful for many years. Then they changed the formula and it just didn’t work anymore.’

‘We had a good relationship with all suppliers around the world. We worked directly with them and I think they wanted to get rid of that model and only use third party products.

“That just doesn’t work in a specialty store environment.”

However, administrators give a different reason for the company’s collapse and make no mention of the fact that Godfrey no longer deals directly with suppliers.

Mr Hardy believes the company has not followed Mr Johnston’s original vision.

“They wanted to go in a completely different direction and become a mass marketer,” he said.

‘I don’t think they liked the advertising style we used. But it was very effective.’

Mr. Hardy started appearing in the company’s commercials because they didn’t have the budget to pay a good actor.

But his energetic and playful style became so popular and effective that he continued to do it for 35 years.

“We did it because we couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it,” Hardy said.

“But then they started working, so then I couldn’t stop.”

Regular surveys showed that customers were most interested in the power of vacuum cleaners and their ability to suck up dirt.

They demonstrated this by picking up a 7 kg bowling ball using only the suction of the vacuum.

‘Now when I get on the plane and put my bag in the overhead locker, the hostess often says: ‘There’s no bowling ball in there, is there?’ And those ads were years ago!’ said Mr. Hardy.

“But it was never about me; it was all about the vacuum cleaners!’

Mr Hardy, who admitted the adverts were ‘constantly embarrassing’ to his children, said all was not lost for the ailing company.

“I think if they went back to the formula that worked, a good company could be created again,” he said.

‘At one point we had a market share of 40 percent. You don’t do that by accident.

“It was good retail and it worked. It was a niche market, but you could get that back.’

Mr Hardy said the family of co-founder Godfrey Cohen was “mortified” by the company’s collapse.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Godfreys for comment on Mr Hardy’s claims.

Craig Crosbie, Robert Ditrich and Daniel Walley of PwC Australia have been appointed as administrators.

Mr Crosbie said the retailer has faced a “challenging economic and operating environment”.

“Lower customer demand due to cost of living pressures, higher operating costs and increased competition have all taken a toll on profitability, with some stores hit harder than others,” he said on Tuesday.

‘Our aim is to take swift action to restructure Godfreys to retain as much of the business and as many jobs as possible. We intend to trade the restructured store network and sell the business and assets as an ongoing concern, with strong interest expected from potential buyers.”

The first meeting of creditors will take place on February 9.