Black Line Retail

What Black Line Retail does

Black Line Retail, trading as Black Line Group, is an Australian privately-held retail services firm founded in 2004 and headquartered at 116 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, NSW. The company provides end-to-end retail store design, shop fitout, and bulk procurement services to enterprise retail brands, alongside an integrated portfolio of services including concept design, tender management, certification and approvals, retail strategy, project management under its Houston Plus methodology, safety management, technical documentation, 3D spatial scanning, value engineering, and ongoing repairs and maintenance. Its proprietary product offering is Ticked Off, a network management application used to manage lighting, maintenance, and refresh scheduling across retail store networks.

The firm serves major retail brand clients across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with documented programmes for Vodafone, Hugo Boss, Guess, Lush, City Chic, Colette by Colette Hayman, Audika, Gloria Jeans, Glassons, Oscar Wylee, TK Maxx, Sportscraft, and Westfield among others. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting franchisors, franchisees, landlords, and certifying authorities for multi-site retail rollouts, refurbishments, and international expansions. Marketing is executed through a thought-leadership blog (Thoughts), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram rather than paid performance channels.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees for design and project management, supplemented by international bulk procurement of fixtures and materials on behalf of clients. Pricing is quote-based and varies by scope, store count, geographic spread, and design complexity, with multi-year contract cadences for anchor clients. The company is privately held, operates with 11-50 employees, has no disclosed external funding, and reports no parent or subsidiary relationships. Leadership includes Managing Director Adrian Black, CFO Kerry Andrews, Construction Manager Darren Wroughton, and a senior team of designers, project managers, client managers, and procurement specialists.

Name

Black Line Retail

Legal name

Black Line Group

Website

https://blacklinegroup.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Line Retail is an Australian retail services firm delivering end-to-end store design, shop fitout, and bulk procurement for enterprise retail brands across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the USA, supported by its Houston Plus project management methodology and Ticked Off network management software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Surry Hills

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Design Services: Professional fees for retail store design, concept design, and space planning services for enterprise clients undertaking store rollouts or refurbishments.
2. Project Management Services: Fees for programme management, tender management, site management, and expedited project management across retail store networks.
3. Bulk Procurement: International procurement and logistics services for fitout materials, fixtures, and equipment, leveraging scale for cost efficiency on behalf of retail clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Black Line Retail provides end-to-end retail store design, shop fitout, and international bulk procurement services for enterprise retail brands. The company delivers concept design, fitout construction, programme management, tender management, certification, and ongoing repairs and maintenance across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It also offers a proprietary network management application called Ticked Off for retail chains.

Product overview

Black Line Retail operates as a single integrated service offering combining retail store design, shop fitout, and bulk procurement. The company provides end-to-end services including concept design, tender management, certification and approvals, retail strategy, project management (Houston Plus), safety management, documentation, 3D spatial scanning, value engineering, and repairs and maintenance. A proprietary product offering is Ticked Off, a network management application for retail chains. The services work together as a unified offering: design feeds into fitout delivery, supported by international procurement, program management, and ongoing maintenance capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 800% cost reduction enabling international store rollout
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers35 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Landlords (Shopping Centre Owners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelationships with shopping centre landlords and property owners essential for retail store rollout programmes. Coordinate with landlords for store certifications, approvals, and tenant installation processes across multiple retail formats and international markets.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture, design, and planning firm with substantial retail practice serving enterprise brands on flagship and network programmes. Larger incumbent competitor with deeper geographic coverage and bench strength.
• CallisonRTKL: Global architecture and design firm with a dedicated retail practice delivering large-scale store design and rollout programmes for major international retailers. Represents the scaled incumbent Black Line competes against on enterprise RFPs.
• Plus Architecture: Australian architecture and design practice with retail and commercial interiors capability, serving enterprise clients across multiple sectors. Broader scope than Black Line but overlapping on retail design and rollout work.

Direct peers

• Greenroom Design: Australian retail design agency specialising in brand experience, store design, and rollout for fashion, lifestyle, and FMCG clients. Overlapping client profile and integrated design-to-delivery offering.
• Brash Brands: Australia-based retail branding and design agency delivering brand strategy, store design, and rollout for retail and consumer brands. Directly comparable in target client base and integrated creative-to-delivery offering.
• Designworks: Australian retail and brand environment design agency delivering concept, design documentation, and project management for retail rollouts. Comparable service offering and ANZ client base.
• Household Design: Australian retail and hospitality design consultancy providing concept design, interior design, and project management for retail networks. Comparable on service mix and ANZ market focus.
• Landini + Associates: Australian retail design consultancy delivering store concept, interior design, and rollout services for major retail and hospitality brands. Closest comparable on geographic market and service offering.
• Futurespace: Sydney-based workplace and retail design consultancy providing strategic consulting, design, and project management for enterprise clients across Asia-Pacific. Directly comparable B2B retail design and delivery model.
• Stimson: Retail and commercial interior design firm in Australia with expertise in store design and rollout for fashion and lifestyle brands. Directly comparable on target customer profile and project-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blacklineretail
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/black-line-retail
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackline.group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Line Retail