Dunlop Sport (Australia)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sporting goods |
| Founded | 1924 |
| Founder | Dunlop Rubber Company of Australasia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Tennis and squash rackets, tennis balls, squash balls, golf clubs, golf balls, athletic footwear (Volley, KT-26) |
Number of employees | 1000+ (1957) |
| Parent | SRI Sports (subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries) |
Dunlop Sport (Australia) operated as the regional branch of the global sports equipment corporation Dunlop Sport, concentrating on the tennis and golf sectors. Their product range featured tennis and squash rackets, tennis balls, squash balls, as well as golf clubs and golf balls.
Additionally, the company manufactured athletic footwear under the "Dunlop Footwear" brand. Prominent shoe models included the Volley and the KT-26.
History
Established in 1924 by the Dunlop Rubber Company of Australasia, Dunlop commenced production of sandshoes in Melbourne to complement its existing gum boot manufacturing. By 1932, annual production had reached two million pairs. The Volley shoe, introduced in 1939 and designed by tennis player Adrian Quist, gained iconic status; it was favored by elite athletes such as Ken Rosewall, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, among others.
By 1957, Dunlop's footwear division employed more than 1,000 workers. The year 1965 saw the creation of "Dunlop Footwear" as a specialized unit focused on shoe design and manufacturing.
Expansion for Dunlop Australia came through acquisitions including companies based in the United States. This strategy brought the KT-26 running shoe into their portfolio—originally known as the Osaga KT-26 in the US—primarily marketed in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
In 2004, Dunlop Sports Australia was incorporated into Pacific Brands. Later, in November 2014, Pacific Brands divested Dunlop Sport (Australia) along with Slazenger to International Brand Management & Licensing (IBML), a subsidiary of UK-based Sports Direct International. This group already held global rights to these brands except within Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Pacific Brands retained ownership of Volley and other footwear lines under Brand Collective Pty Ltd, which was subsequently sold to private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners.
In 2016, Sports Direct International transferred ownership of Dunlop Sport International, including its Australian operations, to SRI Sports, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries.