Chameleon Group Australia is offering to beat the price of any signage competitor in its local Hervey Bay area by 10 per cent, leaving local sign printers seething at the ability of Chameleon to go so low, following the collapse of parent group Krico with debts of $4m last year.
Chameleon is owned by office admin worker Emma Van Der Pluym, who is also the long term girlfriend of CEO Chris Krieger, who is the son of Kevin Krieger, the owner of failed Krico.
Krico owned Chameleon Group – among other print businesses – with Chameleon Group Australia using much of the same equipment and staff. Chris Krieger says 'we haven't phoenixed anything'.
Krico collapsed owing the ATO $1.07m, and the Queensland Office of State Revenue $158,000, among other debts.
Chris Krieger is currently banned from being a company director thanks to a fraud conviction over a failed insurance claim for a fire destroyed digital press which didn't actually exist.