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Industry Talk

Australia’s first vertical seamless knitwear manufacturer

Australian Wool Network (AWN) has acquired Hysport to create Australia’s first vertically integrated seamless knitwear manufacturer.

6th January 2015

Knitting Industry
 |  Seaford, Victoria

Knitwear, Knitted Outerwear, Sports/​Activewear, Knitted Accessories, Collections

According to the Australian farming news website stockandland.com.au, the acquisition will allow AWN to move from brokerage services to vertically integrated wool marketing throughout the supply chain.

A third generation Victoria based knitter and retailer, Hysport Pty Ltd manufactures garments made from pure wool and wool blends including Possum, which are marketed under the brands, Merinosnug and Emaroo. The company uses Shima Seiki Wholegarment technology to produce seamless knitwear.

Adding value

Australian Wool Network managing director John Colley said the acquisition would change the face of wool marketing for the company. Mr Colley said AWN had spent the past year investigating ways to add value to wool growing businesses and proactively drive demand for client’s wool.

“Hysport provides us with a reliable means to deliver a genuine connection throughout the wool processing pipeline from wool grower to consumer,’’ Mr Colley told the news site.

“One of the key attributes of Hysport, and a significant factor in our deliberations to secure the business, was the many exclusive and large contracts for certain product types in already established international markets.”

“This is an exciting phase in AWN’s growth, as we take the opportunity to diversify our business and, at the same time, give our clients potentially different platforms to trade their wool.’’

Established in 1999, AWN is now said to rank as Australia’s third largest wool broker, marketing more than 235,000 bales of wool a year for over 5000 growers.

Hysport

Based in Melbourne, Hysport manufactures up to 72 different garment types, retails at over 230 outlets across Australia and uses Australian wool yarn processed through network partners in New Zealand and Italy.

A third generation Victoria based knitter and retailer, Hysport Pty Ltd manufactures garments made from pure wool and wool blends including Possum, which are marketed under the brands, Merinosnug and Emaroo. © MerinoSnug

Hysport chief executive officer Rod Murray said the factory ranked among the two largest knitwear manufacturers in Australia.

Mr Murray said there had been no contact between woolgrowers and Hysport in the past, with wool sourced on micron specification only.

“We can now have more detail on the wool including fibre length and crimp – our products require a micron range of 17-24,’’ he said.

“The alliance with AWN has enabled me to attend my first wool auction and on-farm visits with wool growers are planned.’’

John Colley said the acquisition allowed AWN to be actively involved in creating consumer demand for wool, under a label carrying the “Australian Made’’ logo.

“Merinosnug and Emaroo are marketed directly to overseas tourists through contracts with the world’s largest airport retailer,’’ he said.

“Purely Merino and Purely Australian are large customers of Hysport with enormous retail reach, and AWN will work closely with Purely Merino to increase demand and sales.’’

Third generation family business

Merino Snug is owned and managed by its original parent company, Hysport Pty Ltd, located in Seaford, outside Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1971, the third generation family business, has been manufacturing Merino wool products for over 40 years and it is proudly still manufacturing in Australia today.

According to the company’s website, producing luxury Merino Possum knitwear, Hysport has a reputation for providing highest quality garments and personalised service. Stockists reach from small independent stores to large international retailers. Hysport introduced distribution to the UK in 2010 and more recently introduced online sales, enabling customers to purchase the Merino Snug brand worldwide.

Over 50 years ago, original founder of Hysport Pty Ltd, Geoff Jones began making children’s clothing from inside the walls of his small home in Melbourne. He later purchased a knitting machine and in the early 1960’s purchased a small factory in Seaford, Victoria and the doors were opened for trading.

After launch, during the 70’s and 80’s Hysport made a name contract knitting for sports clubs. This included iconic retro ski knits with kitch graphics (jacquards), high roll necks and padded patch details. During this era, Hysport was also involved in the Advance Australia campaign and in 1983 was contracted to make the jumpers for the America’s Cup team. Hysport was also requested to provide knitwear for the Australian teams for the Winter Olympics during the 80’s and 90’s.

During the 1990’s Hysport took a big leap forward with technology and ventured into 3-dimensional brightly coloured knitwear under the label Emaroo.  These ranges were particularly popular in the tourism market and exports flourished.

Merino Possum

After 40 years of knitwear production in Australia, Hysport moved away from 3-dimensional knitting and began manufacturing garments with a more classic direction. Hysport adopted a brand new fibre introduced to the world market – Merino Possum, a blend of fine Merino wool and New Zealand possum fur.

The Merino Snug brand was launched into the Australian market in 2004 and Hysport has continued to develop this brand ever since. Merino Snug is now recognised as a quality brand and is well received in fashion and tourism stores throughout Australia with a growing international market.

The team at Hysport are constantly striving to achieve new levels of excellence and are committed to maintaining their status as market leaders within the industry. They are always looking for ways to upgrade and improve manufacturing techniques, not only to remain competitive on price and design, but most importantly to achieve an unfaltering level of quality.

www.merinosnug.com.au

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