Hardwarehouse

Hardwarehouse

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail/Trade Hardware
Fate	Stores converted to Bunnings Warehouse
Defunct	2001
Parent	Howard Smith Group

A converted Hardwarehouse store now trading as Bunnings Warehouse in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. The three columns topped by balls were a fixture of all Hardwarehouse stores.

Hardwarehouse was a former chain of hardware stores, with stores located in Australia and New Zealand. Hardwarehouse developed the hardware warehouse concept in Australia based on comparisons to overseas chains B&Q and Home Depot. Along with BBC Hardware, Hardwarehouse became the largest independently owned hardware retailer in Australia.

In 2001, The Howard Smith Group, owners of BBC Hardware and Hardwarehouse, was bought by Wesfarmers Limited, who rebranded Hardwarehouse stores under the Bunnings Warehouse brand, giving Bunnings an additional several dozen stores, many of them large Hardwarehouse stores in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and New Zealand.^[1]

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