Sussan is an Australian women's fashion retailer, owned and operated by the Sussan Group (ARJ Holdings), who also own and operate

Sportsgirl Sportsgirl is an Australian women's clothing chain owned and operated by Sussan. History 1940s and 1950s The first Sportsgirl store opened in 1948 as an alternative to its sister label Sportscraft on Swanston Street, Melbourne. The store was ...

and Suzanne Grae.

History

The first Sussan store opened on

Little Collins Street Little Collins Street is a minor street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Collins Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

selling lingerie in 1939. By the end of 1951 there were three stores in Little Collins Street, Collins Street and

Swanston Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the main streets of the Melbourne central business district and was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertically ...

. In 1953, the first two stores opened in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

followed by a

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

store in 1956. During the 1960s, the Sussan range grew beyond traditional lingerie and blouses. By 1968, their expansion continued with the purchase of Chic Salon from Woolworths, a 94-store lingerie chain operating in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. This acquisition, along with the 60 existing stores in the southern states and Western Australia, made Sussan a national operation. In 1980, Keith Forster was appointed managing director. He had previously worked as the company's secretary. In 1985, the company had 200 stores and an annual turnover of around $100 million. It was owned by John Gandel and Marc Besen, each with a 50% share. That year,

John Gandel John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

sold his share in the company to Abraham Goldberg and Leon Lipkies, after Gandel decided to focus on his real estate interests. Goldberg and Lipkies has a pre-existing business relationship with Besen through their "control of Australia's biggest listed textile company" Entrad Corporation. The three men's combined shareholding in Entrad amounted to 76% ownership. In 2003,

Naomi Milgrom Naomi Milgrom (; born ) is an Australian businesswoman and philanthropist. Her private company ARJ Group Holdings owns women's clothing retailers Sportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae. Life and business career Milgrom was born in Melbourne, o ...

, the granddaughter of founders Fay and Sam Gandel took control of the group after buying out her parents and siblings.

References

{{reflist 1939 establishments in Australia Retail companies established in 1939 Clothing companies of Australia Companies based in Melbourne Australian fashion