Australia’s Gummerson Buys Hoad Assets

August 23, 2012

VICTORIA, Australia -- Gummerson Fabrics Pty Ltd, Brighton East, VIC, led by John Maiden and Andrew Gummerson, director, have bought the assets, name and all property of Hoad Textiles, an 85 year old upholstery and window fabrics wholesaler, one of the oldest home textile wholesalers in Australia.

Gummerson was established in 1934 as a curtain and drapery fabric and readymade wholesaler and has 30 employees based in Arndell Park, New South Wales.

 

The Hoad brand and remaining stock was purchased by Gummerson Fabrics in July from an Administrator.  The Hoad website says “any claims to unpaid moneys should be directed to the Administrator” which means that Gummerson did not assume any of Hoad’s debts, only intellectual assets and inventory.

One industry veteran observed: “there were pallets of racks of fabrics being unloaded with Hoad stickers with the Gummerson building in the background.” However, despite this observation, Maiden said “there was not much stock that has come across to us.” Maiden guessed that “most had been sold prior.”

Gummerson is primarily a wholesaler of window fabrics which distributes to the trade all over Australia. Hoad products were distributed in Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.

Hoad started its business in Lonsdale Street, Melbourne as a manufacturer of lampshades and furnishing products. It was founded in 1927 by Alfred Hoad whose son Lester Hoad took over in the 1950's. Lester pioneered brand naming in the soft furnishing industry in Australia with the registration of the ‘Matchmaker’ and Hoad names which are still used today.

In the early 1960's Hoad started to design their own fabrics (said to be a first in the Australian industry) which they also manufactured into finished products such as bedspreads and packaged curtains. In the early '80's Rod Hoad (Lester's son) introduced fully co-ordinated soft furnishings, allowing products such as bedspreads, curtains, cushions and upholstery fabrics to be sourced from the one wholesaler, ensuring an acceptable match.

“Hoad did not produce bedspreads and ready-made at the time we purchased them – they have not for some length of time,” according to Maiden.

The purchase price of the assets acquired by Gummerson was not disclosed. It is not known how Gummerson plans to merge the assets of the two companies at this time.

It is also not known what caused the demise of Hoad other than mismanagement in a difficult economic climate.

 

 



Find Out Why 15 Offshore Fabric Companies Chose Infinity

Subscribe to Receive Industry News Alerts

How would you like to receive news?

Join