Supporting Maggie Marilyn’s Australian Expansion

Maggie Marilyn is a fashion label grounded in strong values and ethics. This approach has established the brand as a strong presence in its home country of New Zealand. Respected for their bold transparency, regenerative supply chain and commitment to people and the planet, Maggie Marilyn has made waves in the fashion industry.

After success on home shores, expansion into Australia was next. The Maggie Marilyn team built a Sydney ‘home’ – as the brand refers to their physical locations – to join the two existing ‘homes’ in New Zealand. Founder Maggie Hewitt quickly realised that she needed a team of experts on her side to navigate the complex financial aspects of the expansion. She turned to Vital Addition.

“Setting up in Sydney meant that we needed to line up all the company registration requirements,” recalls Maggie. “New Zealand Trade and Enterprise [NZTE] recommended Vital Addition to support us with this. I had confidence in that recommendation and also knowing that they had experience in helping other companies in a similar position to ours.”

Complex Logistics

Expanding to Australia from New Zealand is a logical step for many companies, given their physical proximity and strong relationship. But with expansion comes logistics. With no directors based in Australia, this meant that Maggie Marilyn needed someone on the ground who could act as their local representative.

“The Vital Addition team acted as our local team in Australia,” explains Maggie. “They carried out the work that required someone from our office being physically present on the ground. There are a lot of legal and filing requirements for setting up a subsidiary in Australia. Vital Addition jumped through all the hoops required for setting up things like bank accounts and utilities.”

This is a familiar scenario for Vital Addition. Vital Addition has years of experience in supporting Australian businesses with outsourced finance teams and taxation services. Helping New Zealand companies navigate the Australian landscape is a natural extension of that. 

“It’s easy to underestimate the work involved in setting up a company in Australia,” says Lachlan Grant, Vital Addition CEO. “First, companies need to make some important decisions about how they will structure the operations. Will the Australian arm be a branch or a subsidiary? How will they staff the Australian operations?”

The Right Partner

Maggie admits that  she would likely still be at square one if not for Vital Addition.

“It took a lot of back and forth to open bank accounts without having our directors based in Australia,” she recalls. “To be honest, without Vital Addition we’d probably still be struggling to open a bank account!”

For a purpose-led, values-driven business like Maggie Marilyn, finding the right partner for any aspect of their business operations is critical. A climate-positive business, Maggie Marilyn has strong relationships with suppliers at every tier of the supply chain. 

“As we do with any client, we took the time to get to know the Maggie Marilyn business and what the team was looking for,” explains Lachlan. “The service we provide to any two clients is never the same because every business is different. And that’s absolutely the case with businesses looking to expand from New Zealand into Australia. Once we knew what was important to the Maggie Marilyn business, we could propose a structure that would align with their goals and values.”

Above and Beyond

Despite not physically being in Australia during the process, Maggie says that working with Vital Addition was seamless.

“The team can easily be contacted via phone, so working remotely has been a breeze,” she says. “I would definitely recommend Vital Addition to any New Zealand company looking at starting operations in Australia. They will go above and beyond in ensuring everything is taken care of smoothly.”

If you’re planning a move into Australia, contact us to discuss how we can support a successful expansion. Just as we did for Maggie Marilyn, we’ll go above and beyond to ensure your Australian operation hits the ground running.