Hundreds of jobs are at risk after one of the country’s best-known barbecue chains collapsed this week.

A voluntary administrator was appointed to nationwide retailer Barbeques Galore on Thursday.

It is Australia’s largest barbecue and outdoor furniture retailer, with 68 company-owned stores and 27 franchise stores across Australia. They are made up of 33 stores in NSW, 19 in Victoria, 18 in Queensland, 14 in Western Australia, five in South Australia, three in Tasmania, two in the ACT, and one in the NT.

Across the country, there are about 500 staff, with the future of their jobs uncertain.

Global firm Ankura has been appointed receiver and manager of the chain.

It said Barbeques Galore would “continue normal operations” for the foreseeable future, as a restructure or sale of the business is weighed.

All in-store and online orders that have been paid for, or part-paid for, will be honoured. However, anyone with a store voucher will have to pay $2 for $1 they hope to redeem (e.g. spend $200 cash to redeem a $100 voucher).

A first meeting of creditors is scheduled for February 24.

Barbeques Galore’s website is currently promoting a sale, with up to 60 per cent off barbecues and up to 40 per cent off outdoor furniture.

The outlet has been supplying Australians with barbecues since 1977, boasting that it stocks the widest range of barbecue products — including LPG, natural gas, charcoal and electric — with brands such as Turbo, Beefmaster and the award winning Ziegler & Brown.

The news comes just two months after the company’s sale to US-based private equity firm Gordon Brothers.

At the time of the acquisition, a spokesperson told Inside Retail that Gordon Brothers would be focused on “the next phase of growth for the business”, to support its “ongoing transformation”.