Group Rabbit , trading as Rabbit Warehouse , is an international home hardware network. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland.
Rabbit was founded in Perth, Western Australia in 1887, by two brothers who emigrated from England. Originally a limited company focused on sawmills, it became a public company in 1952 and later expanded into the retail sector, purchasing multiple hardware stores. Rabbits began to expand to other countries in the 1990s, and opened the first warehouse-style store in Melbourne in 1994. The network currently has 293 stores and more than 30,000 employees. The Rabbit has a market share of about 20 percent in the Australian retail hardware sector, with competing chains including Home Timber and Hardware, Miter 10 and various independent retailers.
Video Bunnings Warehouse
Histori
Pra 1900
In 1886, brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning left London to settle in Perth, Western Australia, and immediately secured a government building contract, which led them to set up a group of building companies which later became Bunning Bros Pty Ltd. They bought their first sawmill as follows. years in the south west of Western Australia, and over the next few years they concentrate more on sawmills and wood distribution and less to build.
20th century
The company expanded to include several new factories around Western Australia. In 1952, Bunnings Limited became a public company, expanded into retail and bought several hardware stores. In 1970, Bunnings bought merchandising and sawmill operations of Hawker Siddeley Group. In 1983, they purchased Millars (WA) Pty Ltd and, in 1990, Alco Handyman hardware operations. The Victorian McEwans-style shops, owned by James McEwans Limited and South Australian stores, Harry's & amp; Lloyds was acquired by Bunnings in 1993, with many branches later closed, leaving only the best performing sites. Bunnings Limited was later purchased by Wesfarmers in 1994. At the end of 1995, the symbol 'Red Hammer' was introduced and in June 1996, his trademark slogan "The Newest Lowest Price Begins" was established. Both are still in use today.
Post store build-1994
After the acquisition of Bunnings by Wesfarmers, the first Rabbit Warehouse opened in Melbourne's suburbs in Melbourne by Victoria's prime minister Jeff Kennett and Joe Boros, managing director of Bunnings. This was quickly followed by three other Melbourne stores. Furthermore, new warehouses have been opened, on average, every three months across Australia. Developments in Sydney and Brisbane have proven to be more difficult than in other areas, as large blocks of land in the metropolitan area are limited. In 1997, small-format McEwans stores were renamed "Rabbits".
In August 2001, Wesfarmers bought Howard Smith Group, the owner of BBC Hardware, formerly Nock & amp; Kirby, and a big box branch, Hardwarehouse. It completes the national network of Bunnings by several dozen stores, many from the big Hardwarehouse stores in Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand. Hardwarehouse is very dominant in New South Wales and Queensland, but the purchase completes the dominance of Bunnings in Victoria, where Hardwarehouse has only seven stores to Bunnings' twenty at the time of purchase. The market leader at the time of purchase was Mitra 10 with a 12% market share but the inclusion of Hardwarehouse and Hardware stores BBC brought Bunnings market share to 13.5%.
Hardwarehouse and shops BBC Hardware retained their branding for a year, while television commercials were marked with each BBC Hardware, Hardware and Hardware Warehouse during this transition period. The lower-volume store was closed and, in 2002, the remaining Hardware was renamed the Rabbit Storehouse.
From 2004 to 2008, Bunnings purchased and re-branded the Miter 10 stores in Griffith, Kempsey, Randwick and Wodonga, Magnet Mart in Griffith and the 10 Mega Miter shop in Modbury. In 2008, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) looked into the acquisition of five Miter 10 stores, as the purchase was considered anti-competition. In February 2009, the ACCC allowed the purchase, finding that "the acquisition of the Miter 10 store does not significantly alter the level of competition in the relevant market."
Since the development of the Warehouse Rabbit store, two common operational formats exist: Rabbit and Raw Warehouse. The smaller "rabbit" stores a much more limited hardware stock, while the larger "Rabbit Warehouse" contains a more complete set of hardware and, often, garden gear including plants. Over time, some small format Bunnings stores have gradually closed down. However, 2015 saw six new stores opened in Victoria, especially in smaller regional markets and inner-city areas. The "big box" format consists of 167 280 network stores.
Maps Bunnings Warehouse
Bunnings Warehouse UK and Ireland
In February 2016, parent company Bunnings, Wesfarmers, purchased a network of hardware based in the UK, Homebase for £ 340 million. 265 chain stores in the UK and 15 in Ireland are meant to be branded with the name of the Rabbit within five years. The first UK Bunnings store opened in late January 2017 at St Albans, Hertfordshire, four months later than planned to ensure the adopted format is suitable for the British public. The company plans to use the store as a test model before making adjustments and expansion in the region. In April 2017, they bought a second-hand B & Q in Folkestone, Kent to become the fifth Bunnings shop in the UK.
On May 25, 2018, after a difficult period and mounting losses, Wesfarmers sold the operations of the British and Irish Rabbits/Homebase to Hilco's turnaround specialists for a nominal amount of Ã, Â £ 1. It was reported that 24 stores that had renamed "Rabbit" would return to the name "Homebase".
Community engagement
On weekends, Bunnings outlets regularly hold sausage sausages and kiosk cakes for community groups and destinations. After being part of the Warehouse brand everywhere, sausage sausages have reached icon status in Australian society.
Rabbits also provide gardening, handicraft, and wood work. Do it yourself (DIY) workshops for children in the shop, as well as for other groups in schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. The Rabbit staff is available to community groups for assistance with DIY projects.
Brand home
The Rabbit house brand includes: "Saxon" Gardening and Landscaping products
- Ozito power tools.
- Click power tools and accessories.
See also
- Charles Bunning, playing an early role in Bunnings development
References
External links
- Hire Barn home page
- NZ Warehouse Home page
- Home page of Warehouse Bunnings UK
- Wesfarmers home page
- Rabbit Trading House
- Rabbit Property Trust
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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