Steven Sher and Rory Cowan have joined forces to create a new umbrella company representing Hot Diamonds, M+Y Steel, Wenger Swiss Watches and RUSH Jewellery in Australia and New Zealand.
Called Established Brands, the new company will officially commence operation on September 1.
Sher and Cowan said they decided to place all their brands under the one group to benefit “from the experience of a team with a wealth of industry experience”.
“Rory and I had discussed working together for a long period of time,” explained Sher.
“With his wholesale experience and my retail knowledge, it provided an opportunity to create a business with strong perspective and balance.”
Sher and Cowanfirst met in 1989 when Sher owned several jewellery stores, including Sydney Jewellers, and Cowan was sales manager for multiple Swatch Group brands.
Together they forged a strong relationship between both companies, with Sher eventually selling his retail stores after launching Swiss watch and lifestyle brand Wenger in Australia.
Cowan went on to manage Rado in Australia and New Zealand before leaving Swatch Group after 17 years to take over Hot Diamonds in 2005.
Whilst running their respective businesses, Cowan and Sher joined forces to launch international men’s brand M+Y Steel and recently their own brand, RUSH Jewellery.
Cowan said that during the nationwide roll-out of M+Y Steel the two men “instantly saw the benefit of working as a single team”.
“To continue to grow our brands – and indeed add more brands to our stable in the future – we need the combined expertise of both companies to achieve the standards we’ve set for our brands,” he said.
For more information phone Established Brands on (02) 9699 9922.