Starleaton enters voluntary administration

Hardware and consumables supplier Starleaton has entered voluntary administration.

Founded forty five years ago Starleaton is the largest family owned supplier to the ANZ Sign and Display industry with locations in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. Established by Peter and Lea Eaton in 1978, siblings Ben (managing director), Josh and Melissa took over the business following their retirement in 2017. Starleaton distributes consumables and hardware from a number of major brands including Zund, Epson, Canon, 3M, Neschen and Roland.

Creditors are invited to contact Cathro and Blundell to lodge claims for outstanding invoices, with a first meeting of creditors expected by the end of the month.

Mitch Mulligan acting President of Visual Connections released the following statement.

“The Visual Connections Board, like the rest of the industry, was dismayed to hear the announcement on Friday that Starleaton had entered voluntary administration.

Although we had no prior knowledge of the situation, our colleague Ben Eaton, CEO of Starleaton, had resigned from the Board this year to focus on business challenges. The Board will meet in February for a strategic planning session, and will reassign roles at that time.

Starleaton has been a strong and dynamic force in the Australian print and sign supply industry, with a product range and expertise spanning everything from wide-format print and signage, to display and graphics products. They have always been a strong supporter of Visual Connections, and a loyal exhibitor in the PacPrint, PrintEx and Visual Impact exhibitions.

More than that, Ben Eaton has made an enormous and positive contribution to the Visual Connections Board over many years, alongside his involvement with many other industry initiatives. We thank him most sincerely for his ongoing commitment to the industry and his willingness to give back to our sector in such a generous way.

The challenges for businesses over the past few years cannot be overstated, and we are still seeing the flow-on impacts from that today. Visual Connections will always stand with its members and assist in any way possible to ensure that our industry remains strong, vibrant and well-served by innovative and committed suppliers.

We send our best wishes to the Eaton family and to all Starleaton staff, and stand ready to support them in any way possible as they navigate this challenging chapter”.