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Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has added Rossi Boots to complement her wardrobe of iconic Australian fashion investments just weeks after announcing the acquisition of Driza Bone earlier this month.
Pastoral company S. Kidman & Co, which is chaired by Rinehart and majority owned by her Hancock Agriculture, has acquired Rossi Boots from Propel Group, the company that also sold Driza Bone to Kidman.
Along with its plans for Driza Bone, Kidman says the acquisition of Rossi is aimed at ensuring ‘manufacturing excellence remains in Australian hands’ while the company explores expansion opportunities for the work-boot range into new markets.
Rossi Boots, founded by Arthur Rossiter in his backyard shed in 1910, is the company behind iconic foot apparel such as the Original Ripple Sole Desert Boot launched in 1950 and the Endura Sole introduced in 1993. The latter has been Rossi’s most popular style among rural and trade customers.
“Acquiring Rossi Boots is not just a business decision; it’s a recognition of our national history,” Rinehart says.
“From being worn on stations and farms around the country to supplying hundreds of thousands of pairs to our soldiers in WWI and WWII, Rossi represents the heart and soul of Australian craftsmanship and embodies the quintessential Australian spirit of hard work, resilience and quality.”
Similarly to the Driza Bone deal, financial details of the Rossi Boots have not been disclosed, although Kidman is already on the front foot with its plans for the new acquisitions.
“We are committed to nurturing its legacy by maintaining operations in Australia and are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Rossi Boots under the umbrella of S. Kidman & Co,” says Adam Giles, the CEO of both Hancock Agriculture and Kidman.
In early signs of Kidman’s plans for Australia’s iconic fashion brands, Rinehart revealed the first of a new line of boots at a Hancock Agriculture Christmas party held at the Norman Hotel – a steak venue supplied by Kidman and renowned as Brisbane’s ‘worst vegetarian restaurant’.
Rinehart unveiled the Kidman boot to company staff with the new product featuring a colour dear to her heart, Pilbara red.
Kidman says the prototype showcases ‘the beginning for the new fashion venture and brings back affordable leather boots to Australians’.
The Norman Hotel’s owner James Power was chuffed that the pub was chosen for the launch.
“Love the red boot," Power says. "Love that it’s called after one of Australia’s great iconic pioneers, Sir Sidney Kidman. And tickled pink, the Norman hotel was chosen to launch the first iconic Kidman boot.”
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