A business that helped shape generations of Sunshine Coast surfers, including 2012 world champion Joel Parkinson, has entered administration, ending a 40-year chapter.
Much-loved retail brand Beach Beat’s operating company, Purple Corridor Pty Ltd, was placed into voluntary administration on June 2, according to a notice lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
The three stores, located at Caloundra, Coolum and Alexandra Headland, were closed as of Thursday.
Founded in Caloundra in 1986, Beach Beat grew into one of Queensland’s best-known surf retail brands, supporting local competitions, sponsoring emerging talent and becoming a fixture of Sunshine Coast surfing culture.
The news has come as a shock to many within the local surfing community with reports employees were given little or no warning before the stores closed.
Former Beach Beat manager Bowie Pollard, who spent 15 years with the business before resigning four months ago, said the loss would be felt across the Sunshine Coast.
“Beach Beat was such a massive part of the community. That’s what everyone loved about Beach Beat,” he said.
“We had people coming back over the years, they’d say, ‘I got a surf board from here when I was a kid’. It was just a huge part of the entire Sunny Coast community and it’s a huge loss.
“I loved Beach Beat, all the people, all the staff, all the customers, it’s like family.
“We’d help people with surf boards, it wasn’t just about selling. It was about the experience, the repeat customers.
“We would have people from Melbourne and Sydney who would holiday and come in every year for a Beach Beat shirt. One hundred per cent it was iconic.”
Mr Pollard said Beach Beat’s influence extended far beyond retail, helping support young surfers on their journey through the ranks.
Through the years, the business sponsored a generation of surfers who would go on to national and international success, including Joel Parkinson, Julian Wilson, Josh Constable, Wade Goodall, Matt Clark and Kai Hing.
Beach Beat also attracted some of Australia’s most respected board shapers, including Bob McTavish, Wayne Deane and John Mills.
Founded by Al Hing and Kingsley Kernovske in 1986, Beach Beat expanded into Alexandra Headland in 1992.
The business manufactured surfboards at Maroochydore from 1987 until 2018 and became one of the Coast’s most recognisable surf brands.
Mr Hing was a respected figure within Australian surfing circles. Under his stewardship, Beach Beat grew beyond a retail business to become a meeting place for surfers and a launching pad for emerging talent, while employing generations of local staff and sponsoring countless events across the Coast.
Mr Hing sold the business in 2021 after 35 years at the helm. He has no formal ties to the company.
According to the ASIC notice, joint administrators Dane Arthur Hammond and Paul Eric Nogueira of insolvency accountant and liquidation firm, Worrells, were appointed on June 2.
A first meeting of creditors is scheduled to be held at Worrells in Maroochydore on June 11.
Industry sources have indicated a stock clearance sale could be considered as part of the administration process, although this had not been confirmed by the administrators at the time of publication.
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