Munro Footwear Group (MFG) has finalised its biggest acquisition to date with the purchase of Fusion Retail Brands.
It will see Williams, Mathers, Diana Ferrari and Colorado join brands such as Styletread, Wanted, Midas, Mollini, Mountfords and Django & Juliette under the same umbrella.
This is the seventh acquisition for MFG in the last decade. These include online shoe retailer Styletread, Midas and Mollini, Mountfords and the Wanted Shoes chain.
MFG CEO Jay Munro and Fusion Group GM Phil Scala said both companies were extremely excited about the opportunities that lay ahead for these two historic Australian footwear companies.
“MFG shares our passion for shoes as well as the importance we place on our customers and our people. We are excited to be working with like-minded people with such a wealth of experience,” Scala said.
Munro said the two companies were a perfect fit with their strong sense of community and ongoing dedication to the industry.
“Williams is Australia’s oldest footwear business founded in Ballarat in 1864. It is in good hands with the Munro family, which has been shaping the Australian shoe industry for 55 years,” he said.
“We are combining MFG’s strength in product development with Fusion’s retail footprint and sourcing capabilities, which will increase our scale and market penetration.”
Fusion has 195 stores nationwide and will boost MFG’s retail footprint to 290 and its 500-strong workforce to more than 2000 employees nationally.
“We don’t aim to be the biggest, but we do aim to be the best,” Munro said.
“Bringing on the Fusion brands to the greater MFG group aligns with our strategy of growth through acquisition.”
The Munro Footwear Group started with a single label in 1962 and has grown into one of Australia’s leading retailers and wholesalers of footwear.