Starleaton CEO Ben Eaton will look to launch new products in 2025, after confirming the company has continued to service more than 800 active customers since emerging from voluntary administration.

In an exclusive interview with Starleaton CEO Ben Eaton, he shares an update on the first six months of the business since it went into voluntary administration and then re-emerged from voluntary administration.

“As soon as Starleaton went into voluntary administration the assumption was, as it is more commonplace, that we would go into liquidation,” Eaton said.

“Our current warehouse clearance campaign has gone off with a bang, with many companies contacting us not realising that we are still trading.

“It was a fight to be given the opportunity to trade out of the voluntary administration, and it has been a tough road so far, but we have fought hard to allow us the best opportunity to make good on our liabilities and to do this we need to remain in business,” Eaton said.

Starleaton has recently commenced a $1 million clearance sale of hardware and consumable products to provide the business with additional cashflow.

“It is now six months since Starleaton emerged from voluntary administration and we are very excited about what the future holds for us. We are very pleased to confirm that we have shipped products to over 800 companies since we have re-commenced normal trading operations in April and we would like to thank all of those customers who continue to do business with us every day across Australia and New Zealand.

“We have refocused the business back to our foundations and what was the pillar of the Starleaton business – consumables. Thanks to our deep inventory levels and the continued support from several of our supply partners, we have managed to continue supplying a number of lines to our loyal customers. We would not be here today if it wasn’t for their support.

“I want to get a strong message out to the market that we are not only continuing to trade but we have a stable business that continues to provide reliable supply to the market. Our customers have expressed a strong message that they want us to remain part of the supplier landscape providing additional competition from an Australian owned family business in a rapidly shrinking market dominated by foreign owned companies. There is currently a lot of media attention around Coles and Woolworths, and if we are not careful, the suppliers to the printing industry could experience a similar experience.

“2025 will see us introduce some new and exciting products as we continue to refocus the business. We have always been a very brand-centric business and it has been complimentary to see so many global manufacturers engaged with us to represent them in the Australian and New Zealand markets as we rebuild the business.

“Our own brands such as Chromojet and Helix continue as do our relationships with specialty suppliers such as Alumi Graphics in the USA that produce aluminium floor and wall graphics materials that adhere to different surfaces such as bricks and concrete.

“We have always wanted to deliver a point of difference to the market, and Starleaton is working through what that point of difference will represent in 2025 and beyond as we re-emerge and re-create our business structure for the future.

“Much of our past success was with niche products that are application focused and Starleaton has had a strong reputation representing these products and we plan to do more of this in the future.

“As the market consolidates and more brands are distributed by a narrower channel, opportunity comes for manufacturers who require a focus on their range. Starleaton is open for a discussion with any manufacturer who is looking to grow their presence in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“I again would like to thank all of our loyal customers and am looking forward to not only a hugely successful spring clearance, but am particularly excited about what the next phase of the business will bring.”

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