The company has supplied accommodation businesses across the state for decades, from major hotels and commercial laundries to smaller operators and, more recently, the rapidly growing short-stay accommodation market. Behind the seemingly simple task of supplying a hotel with sheets or pillows is a business that relies heavily on experience. Oakley Textiles carries around $800,000 in stock, with overseas orders often taking about three months to arrive. A large hotel or commercial laundry can suddenly require thousands of sheets or pillowcases, especially around peak periods – meaning understanding demand and having stock ready is critical. “You’ve got to keep a lot of stock because often they don’t tell you what they want in advance,” Trevor says. “It’s a lot of experience in knowing how to get your stock in, and you’ve got to order a long way in advance. “We’re carrying $800,000 worth of stock, which is quite a lot, sitting there ready to go. And that’s really part of your service.” For smaller businesses, that stockholding can mean the difference between waiting weeks and having what they need almost immediately. “If you’ve got a little business in Launceston, you ring us up today, more than likely you’ll have it tomorrow or at the latest the next day.
and independent retailers to global supply chains, commercial laundries, online shopping and Airbnb, Trevor has watched the industry reinvent itself several times. Through it all, Oakley Textiles has remained a Tasmanian business built around relationships, reliability and knowing its customers. Now, after more than 50 years, Trevor is allowing the next generation to take more responsibility while he spends more time travelling, visiting family and enjoying the Sunshine Coast. There are plans to see more of Tasmania too – although Trevor already knows the state better than most after decades spent on the road as a sales representative. And while the word retirement might technically apply, “semi-retirement” appears considerably closer to reality. The phone still rings. Trevor still speaks with the business. And from time to time, an order still gets sorted from Queensland as though very little has changed. For someone who started with Sheridan at 20, took the leap into business ownership and spent the next five decades adapting to everything the industry threw at him, perhaps stopping completely was never going to come naturally. “I’ve enjoyed the ride, there’s been a few ups and downs like all things,” Trevor says. “I had to work early because I got married so young, and it worked out well, and took a few risks. “You don’t get it sitting still, but I probably didn’t envisage getting to the stage that we’re at. “But you’ve got to take risks if you want to get on in life.”
“People like that.”
It is that connection with customers that has helped the business endure through enormous change.
From the days of Australian-made Sheridan sheets
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/September Edition
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