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Bunnings
Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian hardware and garden centre chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Bunnings was founded in Perth, Western Australia in 1886, by brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning, who had emigrated from England. Initially, a limited company focused on sawmilling, it became a public company in 1952 and subsequently expanded into the retail sector, purchasing several hardware stores. Bunnings began to expand into other states in the 1990s and opened its first warehouse-style store in Melbourne in 1994.
As of 2022, the chain had 381 stores and over 53,000 employees, with a 68% market share in the Australian do it yourself hardware market; competing chains include Mitre 10, Home Hardware and various independent retailers around Australia. Bunnings had the title of Australia's most trusted brand until 2020.
Bunnings runs community events outside or in its stores, including sausage sizzles and do it yourself workshops.
In 1886, brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning left London to settle in Perth, and soon gained a government building contract, which led to the founding of a group of building companies which later became Bunning Bros Pty Ltd. They purchased their first sawmill the following year in the south west of Western Australia, and over the next few years, they concentrated more on sawmilling and timber distribution and less on building.
In 1928, Robert Bunning's sons Charles and Tom began working in the business, eventually becoming directors after their father's death in 1936; Charles was a qualified engineer and Tom a chartered accountant. The company secured several major contracts in the 1930s, including for timber fittings on major Perth buildings, timber supply contracts on the Eastern Goldfields, and railway sleeper contracts in Ceylon and South Africa. Further expansion occurred during World War II, where Bunnings co-operated with its rival Millars, and in the post-war period which saw the creation of a workshop in Manjimup and timber mills in south-west Western Australia and north Queensland.
In 1952, Bunnings became a public company, Bunning Timber Holdings Pty Ltd, expanding into retailing and purchasing several hardware stores. Charles and Tom Bunning became joint managing directors in 1956, with Charles becoming chairman two years later. In 1970, Bunnings bought the merchandising and sawmilling operations of Hawker Siddeley, which "almost doubled the size of the company". In 1983, it bought out Millars and, in 1990, the Alco Handyman hardware operations. In 1993, Bunnings bought a company that operated Harry's and Lloyd's in South Australia, Campbell's in Queensland, and McEwans in Victoria and New South Wales. (This company had been spun off from Harris Scarfe in 1989.) Many of the stores acquired were subsequently closed, with only the best-performing sites being retained.[citation needed]
Bunnings Limited was bought out by Wesfarmers in 1994 for $600 million (equivalent to $1.23 billion in 2022). In late-1995, the Red Hammer symbol was introduced and is still in use today. In June 1996, the company's trademark slogan "Lowest Prices Are Just The Beginning" was introduced. In February 2020, the company discontinued the use of the slogan in Australia. New Zealand ads and stores continue to use the slogan at present.
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Bunnings
Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian hardware and garden centre chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Bunnings was founded in Perth, Western Australia in 1886, by brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning, who had emigrated from England. Initially, a limited company focused on sawmilling, it became a public company in 1952 and subsequently expanded into the retail sector, purchasing several hardware stores. Bunnings began to expand into other states in the 1990s and opened its first warehouse-style store in Melbourne in 1994.
As of 2022, the chain had 381 stores and over 53,000 employees, with a 68% market share in the Australian do it yourself hardware market; competing chains include Mitre 10, Home Hardware and various independent retailers around Australia. Bunnings had the title of Australia's most trusted brand until 2020.
Bunnings runs community events outside or in its stores, including sausage sizzles and do it yourself workshops.
In 1886, brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning left London to settle in Perth, and soon gained a government building contract, which led to the founding of a group of building companies which later became Bunning Bros Pty Ltd. They purchased their first sawmill the following year in the south west of Western Australia, and over the next few years, they concentrated more on sawmilling and timber distribution and less on building.
In 1928, Robert Bunning's sons Charles and Tom began working in the business, eventually becoming directors after their father's death in 1936; Charles was a qualified engineer and Tom a chartered accountant. The company secured several major contracts in the 1930s, including for timber fittings on major Perth buildings, timber supply contracts on the Eastern Goldfields, and railway sleeper contracts in Ceylon and South Africa. Further expansion occurred during World War II, where Bunnings co-operated with its rival Millars, and in the post-war period which saw the creation of a workshop in Manjimup and timber mills in south-west Western Australia and north Queensland.
In 1952, Bunnings became a public company, Bunning Timber Holdings Pty Ltd, expanding into retailing and purchasing several hardware stores. Charles and Tom Bunning became joint managing directors in 1956, with Charles becoming chairman two years later. In 1970, Bunnings bought the merchandising and sawmilling operations of Hawker Siddeley, which "almost doubled the size of the company". In 1983, it bought out Millars and, in 1990, the Alco Handyman hardware operations. In 1993, Bunnings bought a company that operated Harry's and Lloyd's in South Australia, Campbell's in Queensland, and McEwans in Victoria and New South Wales. (This company had been spun off from Harris Scarfe in 1989.) Many of the stores acquired were subsequently closed, with only the best-performing sites being retained.[citation needed]
Bunnings Limited was bought out by Wesfarmers in 1994 for $600 million (equivalent to $1.23 billion in 2022). In late-1995, the Red Hammer symbol was introduced and is still in use today. In June 1996, the company's trademark slogan "Lowest Prices Are Just The Beginning" was introduced. In February 2020, the company discontinued the use of the slogan in Australia. New Zealand ads and stores continue to use the slogan at present.