Surf Hardware International relocated its global headquarters to Australia’s Coffs Harbour and now trades under Gowings Pacific Trader.
Gowings Pacific Trader (GPT), formerly based in Sydney, manufactures and supplies surf-related hardware under FCS, Softech, Gorilla, Kanulock, and the recently-acquired Alvey fishing reel brand, which the company saved from a business closure. By mid-year 2024, the company’s warehousing, logistics, management, and accounting departments are expected to be housed in the Coffs region.
GPT’s Executive Chairman John Gowing said, “Gowings Pacific Trader is a unique business in a niche industry in which Australians have both a strong presence and competitive advantage.
“Gowings has strong growth plans for GPT– leveraging innovation, our Australian heritage and range extension,” Gowing added. “Part of the growth strategy is to broaden our offering as well as to grow the Gowings brand. Gowings Pacific Trader will now include the following brands–FCS, Softech, Gorilla, Kanulock, and Alvey fishing reels. We are also excited to announce the launch of Gowings Pacific Trader as an online and retail store launching in Gowings Coffs Central in December 2023.”
GPT said in a release that it now employs over 90 people in the head office and a forthcoming warehouse in Woolgoolga. This move “provided significant benefits” for locals to live and work in the area and stimulated the local economy.
John Gowing established Gowings Whale Trust in 1996 to increase people’s knowledge, involvement and protection of whales and the ocean. One percent of all GPT’s revenues go to the Whale Trust.
Gowings said it is committed to the continued and steady growth of the North Coast and to play a role in delivering to Coffs Harbour 2030 plan of building a “vibrant cosmopolitan” regional hub.
Photo courtesy of Alvey
