Sail on
Renowned sailmakers The North Sails Group announced that following the company’s consolidation of Australian operations, North Sails Brisbane will become the latest loft to join the company.
25 January 2018
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Founded in 1993 as Bradford Prentice and operating as a local agent of North Sails since 2001, the loft set up by Mark Bradford and Vaughan Prentice has a long-established reputation as one of the largest sailmakers in Queensland.
The Brisbane loft has manufactured, sold and serviced thousands of sails up and down the Queensland coast, from the smallest dinghy through to multihulls, right up to the racing supermaxis and everything in between.
Following the 2017 acquisition of North Sails Australia, which included both the Sydney and Melbourne businesses, today’s announcement sees the Brisbane team join the group as a fully serviced North Sails loft.
In line with the North Sails Group ethos, the acquisition of the loft means customers will still deal with Mark and Vaughan on the ground, while their team will benefit from the shared technology and wealth of knowledge from within the group.
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The growing global company, well known for its revolutionary North 3Di sails, has a network of lofts unrivalled by any other sailmaker in the world and continues to invest in innovation and technology, which in turn creates the market-leading sails clients have come to expect.
Mark Bradford commented: “Vaughan and I have greatly enjoyed setting up and running what has become North Sails Brisbane, and are hugely excited by this next step that will give our clients an even better service.
“We want to make sure that anyone who walks into our loft ends up with a sail perfectly suited to their sailing needs. Part of that is making sure we are at the cutting edge of new technologies and are able to offer the latest and greatest sails possible.
“We believe that by joining the North Sails Group we can do that. All the staff at North Sails Brisbane are hugely looking forward to all that this new stage will bring.”
North Sails Group President Ken Read also commented on the acquisition: “The core of our whole business is understanding the local culture and sailor by delivering sail solutions that exceed their expectations. We are delighted that North Sails Brisbane is joining North Sails Group, and helping us to further develop our network and enhance our global customer experience.
“As we continue to push the boundaries of technology and put a huge amount of focus into research and development, we are excited to be able to share this with our lofts and customers around the world.
“I am delighted to welcome Mark, Vaughan and their team to the North Sails Group and look forward to working with them in the coming years,” said Read.
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