One of Australia’s largest refrigerated freight companies, Don Watson Transport & Coldstores, has closed its doors after almost 80 years in business. It informed 300 employees last week that the decision would impact all workers and Monday, (9 June) would be the last day of collections.
The third-generation family-owned company has a fleet of 140 trucks and 170 trailer trucks servicing the East coast, with refrigerated distribution centres in Derrimut, Melbourne, Wodonga, Victoria, Wetherill Park, Sydney, and Hemmant, Brisbane.
(Image: Don Watson Transport)
In an internal memo, managing director Lyndon Watson said the “current economic conditions” were the reason behind the decision, but reassured employees all entitlements would be paid.
“We’re lucky to be able to close the doors and exit the industry just by paying all the drivers their notice period, entitlements and redundancy.
“The transport industry has been great to us and we do really appreciate this opportunity to be able to turn it off and cease operations in a way that will ensure everyone is squared up nicely, and it’s done in a nice way.
“We’d rather not go into the brass tacks [of why] – there are a lot of things that contribute to these kind of decisions. They are hard decisions to make, but you have to make those at times and we’ve got to do what’s best for the family, and what’s best for the industry,” Watson said.
Watson said the coldstores would remain fully operational and the company would be looking to sell them as a going concern.
“The Watson family has benefited from the Australian Trucking and Warehousing Industry over many generations, and we’ve tried to offer back time and effort in kind,” he said.
The company was founded in 1948 by G H “Don” Watson and when he died in 1973, handed to his son, Donald Watson. He died suddenly in 1994, aged 42, with his wife, Noelene, taking on the business. After working as a diesel mechanic and driver for the company, being a business development manager for the coldstores business and a manager for the company, the third generation, Lyndon Watson, became CEO in 2019.
