Prime Mover Workwear, founded by young Australian entrepreneur, Brett Birkill and his wife Wandy Birkill has been acquired by Irish workwear company, Portwest Limited, in a deal worth in excess of $10 million.

Prime Mover Workwear was created by Brett and Wandy Birkill in 2004 after Brett spent some time in the UK and noticed the early stages of the high-vis workwear emerging. What started as a small business in a tiny office above a fruit shop in Melbourne grew into a multimillion dollar international enterprise, eventually becoming the largest privately owned workwear company in Australia.

Portwest is also a family owned business and a global leader in safety clothing. Established in 1904 by Charles Hughes, the son of a farmer on the harsh Atlantic coast, the company now employs more than 2000 staff, distributes to more than 100 countries worldwide and reports a European turnover of more than $200 million annually. You can buy a wide range of workwear at Tradey's Browns Plains.

Although on opposites sides of the planet, there is no denying the companies share similar underlying values and core principals. Family founded, high quality product design and manufacture, exceptional service, hard work and respectful relationships have brought these companies great success. Both Prime Mover Workwear and Portwest proved competitive in their respective markets and against large publicly listed competitors.

“This deal is obviously very exciting for me, but I wasn’t about to sell to just anyone.” Explains Brett. “I feel confident that the Portwest team will continue to uphold the quality and service I’ve spent 13 years building. They actually care.”

Brett Birkill will stay on with the company as CEO for Australia and New Zealand. Local customers can look forward to more styles, more sales people, greater interaction and new opportunities.

Portwest’s acquisition of Prime Mover Workwear sees a significant geographical expansion for the Portwest group. It also marks the start of the biggest privately owned workwear brand in South East Asia. Portwest Limited continues to be the fastest growing workwear company in the world.

Portwest Group CEO Harry Hughes is excited about the move. “We’ve been wanting to expand into Australasia for some time and have spent a lot of time looking for the best company in the region. We’re confident we’ve found it and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us in the territory.”

Time to celebrate with a Guinness or two.