Family firm gets set to up the ante
IT may be just up the road but for a small Gold Coast supply company Brisbane could be the start of an ambitious expansion plan.
Resort Supplies, a familyowned one-stop shop for resort fit-outs and ongoing operations, is targeting the state capital as the first step in expanding the group’s operations.
The Varsity Lakes-based business services an area from Byron Bay up to the Sunshine Coast and concentrates predominantly on 3.5 to four-star resorts.
However, according to Sarah Townsend, who runs the company with her husband Jay and Jay’s parents, Joy and Peter, Resort Supplies is taking a hard look at expansion plans.
“At this point we’ve just had referral business all this time and we have decided it’s time to get out there,” she said.
“While we may have competitors out there doing one aspect of our business there doesn’t seem to be too many direct competitors out there.”
The company formed in 2004 when Ms Townsend and her husband suggested Jay’s parents move over from West Australia with the intent of forming a one-stop resort supplies shop.
“We had worked as resort managers for a number of years and saw a need in the market for this type of operation,” she said.
“It’s early days for us but our biggest aim is to have the ability to tap into some of the newer buildings that are popping up on the Gold Coast.
“We believe that with our expertise and knowledge of managing resorts we have an edge when it comes to working with new resorts.”
Ms Townsend said the business offered resorts everything from tea, coffee, sugar, toilet paper, shampoo right through to refurbishment options for old and tired holiday apartments or new resorts requiring 100-plus apartments to be completely fitted out.
She said a willingness to source from local companies also gave the business an ability to nimbly respond
“We have our own in-house curtain maker who operates out of our warehouse, using fabrics such as Warwick, Profile, Zepel and more.
“We use local manufacturers where we can and that gives us more flexibility.
“Another big factor for us is that there are very few families that work well together but all of us have worked together in some form for the past 25 years. Because of that we are very customer focused which means that our customers generally leave very happy.”
She said with resorts regularly looking to update their fit-outs style was less of a major concern.
“Styles are always changing on the Gold Coast. What we like to do is that while we like to keep furniture styles current we find that there are ranges that work well consistently.
“You can also choose different fabrics but a coastal theme always works well in 3.5 to four-star properties close to the Broadwater.”
Ms Townsend said the business was kept busy with a range of clients who have regular refurbishments.
“Take a building like Q1 which is a decent size and it’s a property that we have regularly done for years.
“It’s just ongoing and because we have a handful of those regular clients and they have people who buy into the building all the time who often get referred to us we are kept busy.
“But office fit-outs and Brisbane are two markets that we haven’t tapped into and when you look at something like Brisbane it’s just up the road.”