Culture Kings founders Simon and Tah-nee Beard have left the streetwear chain two years after selling it to US private equity, as they sense “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities elsewhere in the struggling retail sector.

After opening their first store on the Gold Coast in 2008, the married couple used an instinct for shopping-as-theatre to turn Culture Kings into an omnichannel retailer turning over nearly $200 million for a $20 million net profit by 2020.