Redback Boots
Australian-made work boots. Supplier to the Australian Defence Force since 1998. The Cloros family has made boots since 1927.
Status: Watchlist
- Founded
- 1989
- Website
- redbackboots.com
- HQ
- Australia
- Manufacturing
- Australia
- Ownership type
- PE-owned
- Parent
- Ares Management Corporation
- Acquired
- 2026
- Status since
- 2026-07-08
Ownership
On 8 December 2025 Ares Management agreed to buy a majority stake at a valuation just under $100 million, its first private equity deal in Australia. Managing director Matt Cloros keeps a significant equity stake and a full-time role. Close was scheduled for Q1 2026; public confirmation of completion has not been found.
Why Watchlist
A fourth-generation family manufacturer is passing to a US buyout firm. The deal is framed as growth capital with a founder rollover, and Ares committed publicly to scaling the Sydney factory. No binding manufacturing guarantee was published. The record under new ownership does not exist yet.
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