BLK (sportswear)
 | |
| Formerly | KooGa (1999–2011) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Textile |
| Founded | 1999[1] |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Andrew Suffel (CEO) [2] |
| Products | |
| Parent | Esperança Timor Oan[3] |
| Website | blksport.com |
BLK (initials for "Beyond Limits Known") is an Australian sporting goods manufacturing company which was established in 1999 in the city of Gold Coast in Queensland.
The overall but now heavily transitioned company has origins as far back as 1999, but evolved from the Australian arm of the brand KooGa. Australian founder and current chairman, Kim Brant, re-branded KooGa Australia to "BLK" in 2011.[1] BLK has a network of suppliers in France; Ireland; Japan; Malaysia; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Solomon Islands; South Africa; United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States.[citation needed] BLK's headquarters in the Gold Coast features its own fully operational warehouse while they also have production facilities in Fiji and China.[4]
The parent company of BLK Australia by then, World Rugby Specialists, was placed into external receivership in November 2016. This was due to unprofitable sponsorships and an over-accumulation of inventory, among other financial troubles. In January 2017, BLK was acquired by a consortium of Fijian and East Timor investors (led by oil and energy company Esperança Timor Oan –ETO–),[3] amid BLK Australia's financial issues. ETO managing director Nilton Gusmão dos Santos said the acquisition was part of their intentions to go beyond the energy field.[5][6]
Sponsorships
BLK is the official supplier and sponsor of sports teams, players, associations and events, including:[7]
Association football
Baseball
Cricket
Netball
Queensland Firebirds- Queensland team
Rugby league
Rugby union
See also
References
- ^ a b KooGa would like to introduce BLK on Touch Football site, 12 Nov 2013
- ^ https://www.channelnews.com.au/cucumbers-dairy-farms-now-harvey-norman-has-a-school-locker-problem-thats-costing-them-money/
- ^ a b Consortium of private investors buys troubled sportswear brand BLK by Dominic Powell on Smart Company, 20 Jan 2017
- ^ KooGa opens here, Fiji Sun, 17 Oct 2013
- ^ Uniform strife as supplier goes into receivership by Matt Thompson] on AFL website, Nov 16, 2016
- ^ Ailing sports firm BLK sold on The Australian
- ^ Fan Gear on BLK website, retrieved 25 Sep 2019
- ^ "Sky's The Limit as Locomotive Unveil Home Jerseys". United Soccer League (USL). 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Gotz, Ben (8 February 2018). "Lights FC unveil home jerseys for United Soccer League season". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
