Retail Apparel Group

Retail Apparel Group

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail (apparel)
Founded	1987
Founder	Stephen Leibowitz, Michael Leibowitz
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia, New Zealand
Products	Menswear, womenswear, activewear, plus-size menswear
Owner	The Foschini Group

Retail Apparel Group is a clothing retailer operating in Australia and New Zealand, fully owned by the Foschini Group. The company manages retail outlets under several brand names including Tarocash, Connor, yd., Johnny Bigg, Rockwear, and AXL+Co.

Tarocash

Founded in 1987, Tarocash is a menswear brand focusing on formal attire, with 103 locations across Australia and 12 stores in New Zealand, eight of which are situated in Auckland.

The brand caters to millennial and Generation Z customers seeking budget-friendly suits but has received criticism for its reliance on inexpensive polyester materials.

Connor

Since 2006, Connor has been offering affordable menswear ranging from formal to casual styles. It operates 190 stores throughout Australia and eight in New Zealand, including four Auckland locations.

yd.

yd. is known for delivering the latest trends in menswear fashion with 120 stores in Australia and eight in New Zealand, four of which are in Auckland.

Johnny Bigg

Johnny Bigg specializes in big and tall menswear retailing.

The brand maintains 69 outlets across Australia and ten stores in New Zealand, with four located in Auckland.

Rockwear

Rockwear is a women's active wear label that offers clothing suitable for workouts, walking, running, and casual occasions. Established in 1991, it became part of Retail Apparel Group in 2015.

Currently, Rockwear has 73 retail locations across Australia.

AXL+Co

AXL+Co is a plus-size menswear collection introduced under the Connor brand. It launched online in July 2023 and subsequently opened its first brick-and-mortar store at Macarthur Square.

Tarocash (1987–2007)

Stephen and Michael Leibowitz, brothers who emigrated from South Africa to Australia in 1987, began by supplying wholesale menswear to retailers. Their initial store, named Cafe, opened a year later in 1988.

The Tarocash brand was named by combining the first two letters of their children’s names: Taryn, Romi, Carly, and Sasha. By 1991, the business had expanded to five stores.

In 2003, Tarocash featured players from the Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers, and North Melbourne Football Club as models for its catalogues. That summer catalogue also included cricketers Matthew Hayden and Michael Bevan.

In May 2005, cricketer Shane Warne signed a two-year endorsement deal valued at nearly AU$100,000 to represent Tarocash but was dropped two months later during an internal review. The company considered engaging another cricketer, Andrew Symonds, for future advertising efforts.

Retail Apparel Group (2007–2017)

By 2007, the enterprise operated 86 stores under the new name Retail Apparel Group and introduced its second retail brand, Connor.

The store network grew to 177 locations by 2008 with the addition of a third retail chain.

By 2014, Retail Apparel Group managed 325 stores and debuted its fourth brand, Johnny Bigg.

In 2015, with a portfolio of 342 stores, the company acquired Rockwear, which had built a presence along Australia’s east coast since its founding in 1991.

Navis Capital Partners, the majority stakeholder, explored an initial public offering valued at AU$400 million on the Australian Securities Exchange while also gauging potential buyers. However, profit margins declined due to moderate sales performance and rising import expenses linked to a weaker Australian dollar.

As of April 2017, average customer spend per visit was $56 at Johnny Bigg, $51 at Tarocash, $44 at yd., $32 at Rockwear, and $31 at Connor. Retail Apparel Group observed that expanding online shopping options and competition from H&M were limiting pricing power despite menswear sales outperforming womenswear.

The Foschini Group (2017–present)

In 2017, South African apparel retailer The Foschini Group (TFG) acquired Retail Apparel Group from Navis Capital Partners for AU$302.5 million. This transaction included the sale of founding director Stephen Leibowitz’s shares, granting TFG complete ownership. Following the acquisition, Navis withdrew its plans for an initial public offering.

At the time of purchase, Retail Apparel Group managed 477 retail outlets, increasing TFG’s overall store count to more than 3,000 locations. The group pursued aggressive expansion strategies, targeting double-digit growth rates by 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected revenues in 2020, leading to both temporary and permanent closures of stores. Nevertheless, TFG Australia experienced a significant boost in e-commerce, with online sales rising by 58.1% through March 2021.

In 2021, Retail Apparel Group introduced the Rockwear brand in Western Australia, launching five new stores within Perth over a two-month period. That same year, the company earned a "B" rating from Baptist World Aid Australia for its commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability.

With the conclusion of JobSeeker subsidies and rent relief measures looming, the company anticipated a difficult trading environment in 2022. By that year, the group’s five brands collectively operated 510 retail outlets.

In 2023, Retail Apparel Group expanded its product range by unveiling AXL+Co, a plus-size menswear collection under the Connor label.

Sponsorship

Retail Apparel Group actively supports Thread Together, a mobile charity clothing van initiative operating across New South Wales. Alongside partners such as Bendon Lingerie, Commonwealth Bank, and the Goodman Foundation, these vans provide services to communities including Wagga Wagga, the North Coast, South Coast, and the Greater Sydney area.