PAS Group's licensing business Designworks is a key focus for new owner Larry Kestelman, Ragtrader can reveal.
Acquiring the retail giant in October 2020, Kestelman's Queens Lane Capital is focusing on driving Designworks, hoping to represent more licensed brands, Kestelman said.
"We think we've got an amazing product in Designworks that does great work and are absolute specialists in licensing.
"I'm in awe of how well they produce high-quality products and at the prices that they're doing it for mass retailers is just incredible.
"You see the front label brands but you don't necessarily know who does it.
"You might think that a brand like Lonsdale, Everlast and others are doing it all themselves but it's actually Designworks that does all the work. We manage the licenses, the brands, manage the retail relationships, build and design ranges, so we think we're a great option for a lot of licensors.
"I'm very excited about the Designworks business and the opportunity to represent more and more high-quality licenses.
"The suite of licenses they have already is great and I think we can do more," he said.
However, Designworks isn't the only focus for PAS in 2021, with the business also looking to acquire more brands into its portfolio, Kestelman explained.
"We've already been approached by a number of companies, but I think what we're going to do is – because we're not traditional retailers – we're going to come and shake things up and look at things in a little bit of a different way to the traditional retailer.
"We're looking to grow; we're looking to bolt-on brands and if we believe it's a great brand and we can add value to it we are certainly interested in acquisition.
"At a time where a lot of retail is struggling and going backwards, I think we've got a great supply chain and we do things pretty well.
"If there's businesses out there that we think we can add value to, we are certainly interested in looking at anyone who's thinking of selling out or bringing licenses to Australia.
"We're private equity company, we've got the capital to do it," he said.