Game Changers: QUT alumnus and Culture Kings founder Simon Beard
Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame and QUT are proud to present QUT alumnus Simon Beard\, the visionary behind international streetwear retailer \;Culture Kings\, in conversation with QUT Professor Gary Mortimer at the State Library of Queensland.
The free event on June 14\, which \;will also be live-streamed\, is part of the \;Game Changers series \;that showcases Queensland&rsquo\;s most innovative business leaders and explores how they build ventures\, reinvent themselves\, inspire their teams and envision success. \; \; \;
Culture Kings is a leading national and international streetwear retailer\, but its humble origins lie in the Carrara Markets on Queensland&rsquo\;s Gold Coast. Simon and Tahnee Beard built the company from scratch and with no external funding. Culture Kings now employs 900 people and turns over more than $300 million\, with 75 per cent of sales online.
The nine Culture Kings stores in Australia\, New Zealand\, and the USA were always intended to compete with entertainment destinations rather than with other retail assets. Culture Kings pioneered event-based retail by bringing NBA superstars\, hip-hop artists\, world famous DJs\, TikTokkers and fashion icons into stores\, redefining the retail space as a performance space.
Professor Gary Mortimer is a Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at the QUT Business School. \; Prior to joining QUT\, he spent over 25 years working with some of Australia&rsquo\;s largest general merchandise and food retailers. He is regarded as Australia'\;s leading retail expert.
Image above: Simon Beard. Photo by Paul Harris and courtesy State Library of Queensland.
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