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A long-term Brisbane fashion label is being sold after entering administration and a bus builder returns to the Gold Coast.
Australian fashion label for sale following voluntary administration
Independent fashion label BlackMilk Clothing is being offered for sale through an accelerated acquisition process following the appointment of voluntary administrators.
The brand was founded in Brisbane in 2009, before developing an international following of more than 1.9 million followers and customers in more than 48 countries and received a Licensing International Excellence Award.
Apex Advisor will manage the administration and sale process with expressions of interest being sought from established fashion and retail groups, ecommerce operators, strategic acquirers and investors.
BlackMilk Clothing CEO Jackie Kruger said the process provided an opportunity to find a new owner who could build on the brand’s 17-year history.
“Entering voluntary administration is obviously not where any of us wanted to be,” Kruger said. “But there is a lot of value in what has been built here, and I believe BlackMilk represents a really exciting opportunity for the right purchaser to take an established brand, with an engaged community and significant brand equity, into its next chapter.”
A spokesperson for Apex Advisory said the accelerated sale process was intended to identify credible buyers capable of progressing a transaction within the administration timetable.
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“BlackMilk represents an opportunity to acquire an established Australian fashion brand with a distinctive market position and an existing direct-to-consumer presence,” the spokesperson said.
Bus builder back on the Gold Coast after administration rescue
Ipswich-based bus building company BusTech announced it has returned to the Gold Coast with a new 6,000sqm factory in Yatala opened on Monday.
BusTech previously moved to a small factory in Rocklea, Brisbane, and it’s return to the Gold Coast now comes after GoZero Group rescued it from administration last year.
GoZero Group Managing Director Stephen Cartwright OAM said the factory was expected to be fully operational by mid-2027, with capacity to produce between 120 and 200 buses a year, not just for Queensland but other states as well.
“We’re getting BusTech back on its feet and rebuilding its capability,” Cartwright said. “It’s quite a lengthy process and quite challenging. We have to re-instill confidence in the customers and suppliers, that this is a new business with new ownership but it’s going to go back to what it was once upon a time.”
Invest Gold Coast supported BusTech’s return through its Investment Attraction Program, with Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate attending the facility’s opening.
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“We’re supporting BusTech‘s move back to the city to help it grow its workforce, create apprenticeships and connect with local suppliers as production ramps up,” Tate said.
The facility was expected to create around 100 new jobs, which Tate said would respond to the Gold Coast’s priority industry of advanced manufacturing to create skilled jobs and diversify the economy.
The new manufacturing facility will have capacity to build buses to customer needs, including the Euro 6 public transport buses BusTech has been building at its smaller factory in Brisbane.
ICU receives family donation
The Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation received a donation of $100,000 from Cairns business woman Toni Bresnahan and family.
The foundation exceeded its goal of raising $800,000 for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), raising a total of $1.1 million at its donor dinner.
ECMO is highly specialised life-support technology used for critically ill patients whose heart or lungs need significant support.
For Bresnahan, contributing to the campaign was about supporting a critical local service and investing in the future of the community her family calls home.
“My family has a long history in Cairns and we’ve always believed that if the community supports you, there should be that same commitment to supporting the community in return,” Bresnahan said.
“One of the things I really love about supporting the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation is knowing the money donated here stays local and supports our community.”
With business interests spanning property development and tourism, Bresnahan said she sees strong health services as an important part of Cairns’ continued growth and appeal, and that she hopes her contribution encourages other local businesses and organisations to do the same.
“The hospital and the Foundation do so much for our region, and I hope businesses and organisations that benefit from being part of Cairns will look at how they can give some of that support back,” she said.
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