The fashion industry certainly thrives on change and Melbourne-based menswear manufacturer and wholesaler, Smith and Co, is a good example of that.
When Juliana Claridge and Lyn Brown established Smith and Co and acquired
the Balance menswear brand in mid-1997, the label was well-established
but consisted mainly of t-shirts and tracksuits.
Since then, they’ve added new fabric blends, polo shirts and woven shirts and trousers to the range, and the reinvigorated Balance label is now selling through about 150 retail outlets across Australia.
.“Balance is now a national brand and the financial support we received from Scottish Pacific helped us achieve that by giving us the financial flexibility to spread our wings and develop our national distribution,” said Juliana.
Smith and Co has been a client of Scottish Pacific Business Finance since 1997. “The main benefit for us is getting the money up-front,” said Lyn. “We have to pay the outworkers within seven to 14 days, and when all that money is going out, it’s good to know that the payments will come in from Scottish Pacific the day after we invoice.”
“That’s been great for us and it really helps to bridge the gaps,” said Lyn.