Best & Less

Last updated
Best & Less
TypePrivate
Industry Retail
Founded1965;58 years ago (1965)
Headquarters,
Australia
Number of locations
182 stores (2022)
Owner BB Retail Capital
Number of employees
Over 3,000
Website bestandless.com.au

Best & Less is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens. As of October 2022, Best & Less has 182 stores as well as an online platform. [1]

Contents

History

Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges in January 1965, by occupying part of the ground floor of the department store "Snows" which was in the process of closing down. [2] [3] Prior to trading as Best & Less, the store was known as "Shenows". Best & Less officially opened their first store in Parramatta on 27 May 1965.

Best & Less was known for its frugal in-store appearance, with minimal fixtures, and its advertising tagline was "You don't pay for any fancy overheads". The ads often featured Joy Muir, then president of the Australian Housewives' Association, delivering the line to cameras.[ citation needed ]

In 1998, Best & Less was acquired by the South African investment company Pepkor. [3] Steinhoff Asia Pacific (later renamed Greenlit Brands) obtained Best & Less when it acquired Pepkor in 2014. [4] [5]

In December 2019, Allegro Funds acquired Best & Less from Greenlit Brands. [6]

Best & Less Group

Best & Less Group is the holding company which comprises Best & Less and the New Zealand clothing chain Postie. It was floated on the Australian Securities Exchange in July 2021 under the code BST. [7]

In February 2023, CEO Rodney Orrock left the company to focus on his health. [8]

BB Retail Capital acquired Best & Less in July 2023. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myer</span> Australian department store chain

Myer is an Australian mid-range to upscale department store chain. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of products across women's, men's, and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; connected home; furniture; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and travel goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Jones (retailer)</span> Australian department store chain

David Jones Pty Ltd, trading as David Jones, is an Australian luxury department store, the store was owned from 2014 to 2023 by the South African retail group Woolworths South Africa. In December 2022, David Jones was sold to private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners for around $100m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolworths Group (Australia)</span> Australian multinational retail company

Woolworths Group Limited is an Australian multinational retail and finance company, primarily known for its operation of retail chain Woolworths Supermarkets across Australia and Woolworths in New Zealand, as well department stores Big W and Masters. Headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney, it is the largest company in Australia by revenue and number of employees, and the second-largest in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inditex</span> Spanish multinational clothing company

Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's flagship store is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands such as Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Uterqüe and Lefties. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.

Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates 846 supermarkets throughout Australia, including several now re-branded Bi-Lo Supermarkets. Coles has over 120,000 employees and accounts for around 27 per cent of the Australian market. Coles' large head office site in Melbourne's inner south-east has 4,000 employees of the workforce located inside.

Postie, formerly Postie Plus, is a New Zealand clothing store chain. It was founded in 1909 by Thomas Dellaca. As of October 2022, Postie has 61 stores as well as an online platform. Together with Australian retailer Best & Less, it forms the Best & Less Group.

Harris Scarfe is an Australian retailer that sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel. It was founded in 1849 in Adelaide, South Australia and has more than 50 stores nationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JB Hi-Fi</span> Australian consumer electronics retail company

JB Hi-Fi Limited is an Australian consumer electronics and home appliances retail company. It is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Its headquarters are located in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria.

Colorado Group Limited was an Australian public company that operates a number of retail clothing chains. Major brands include Colorado Adventurewear, Mathers, Williams the Shoemen, JAG, Diana Ferrari, and Pairs. The company is based in Brisbane, Queensland with an office in Cremorne, Victoria. The history of the company dates back over 140 years to the 1864 founding of Williams in Ballarat, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JD Sports</span> British sports-fashion retail company

JD Sports Fashion plc, commonly known as JD Sports, JD or JD Group is a British sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The Pentland Group owns 55% of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coles Group</span> Australian public company

Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of liquor through its Coles Liquor outlets. Since its foundation in Collingwood, Victoria in 1914, Coles has grown to become the second-largest retailer in Australia after its principal rival, Woolworths, in terms of revenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pep (store)</span> Retail store chain established in 1965 in South Africa

Pep is a multinational retail company based in Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 1965, Pep operated in 11 countries in Southern Africa with the opening of an outlet in Lobito, Angola in November 2008. As of November 2009, the company reported over 1400 stores in operation, with total employment equalling 14,000 employees. It also owns and runs the largest clothing factory in southern Africa, where it manufactures much of its clothing.

Pepkor is a South African-based investment and holding company focused on the discount and value consumer retail and fintech markets. The majority of operations are in South Africa, and operations extend to other African countries and Brazil. It manages retail brands, selling predominantly clothing, footwear, and homeware products, in addition to household furniture, appliances, consumer electronics, and building materials.

Christoffel F. Hendrik Wiese is a South African businessman and former billionaire. His source of wealth is consumer retail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steinhoff International</span> South African-based international retail holding company

Steinhoff International was a multinational holding company that was dual listed in Germany and South Africa. It was officially liquidated on 13 October 2023. Its holdings were in the retail sector, primarily in furniture and household goods, and included a 43,8% stake in South Africa's Pepkor group. The company operated in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It was well known for an accounting scandal which led to criminal charges against its former chief executive, Markus Jooste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milan Direct</span> Australian furniture company

Milan Direct was an Australian-based furniture company that is now sold as a private label under the Temple & Webster brand. The company was founded in 2006 and operates primarily through an online marketplace.

Markus Johannes Jooste is a South African businessman and the former CEO of Steinhoff International. He is an avid horse breeder, and in 2016 was reported to be one of Africa's richest people, worth $400 million. Joining forces with Christo Wiese in 2014, they embarked on an aggressive international expansion programme. The share price of their conglomerate reached a peak in March 2016, favouring their strategy of paying for dividends and acquisitions by sales of stock.

Tattarang is an Australian private investment company owned by Andrew Forrest and his family. Tattarang invests in a diverse range of businesses across agri-food, energy, health technology, property, resources, and lifestyle. The group is made up of six business divisions: Fiveight, Harvest Road, Squadron Energy, Tenmile, Wyloo Metals and Z1Z.

Greenlit Brands, formerly Steinhoff Asia Pacific Group, is the Australian subsidiary of Steinhoff International. It owns the furniture retailers Freedom Furniture, Fantastic Furniture and Snooze.

Accent Group is an Australian and New Zealand footwear and clothing retail, wholesaling and distribution company. It has more than 700 retail stores, along with 19 brands, and more than 20 online platforms.

References

  1. "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Best & Less Group. 21 October 2022. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  2. "Chapter Four 1980–1990 Raising the Stakes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 Kaufman, Eve (21 January 2015). "Berel Ginges founded Best & Less but was known for so much more". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. Powell, Dominic (19 November 2019). "Best & Less, Harris Scarfe back in Australian hands". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  5. Blake, Dean (28 September 2018). "Steinhoff Asia Pacific rebranding Greenlit". Inside Retail. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. Thompson, Sarah (29 April 2021). "Mum's the word at Best & Less Group" . Australian Financial Review .
  7. Thompson, Sarah; McDonald, Anthony; Boyd, Tim (22 June 2021). "Blundy piles into Best & Less; IPO 2.0 launched" . Australian Financial Review.
  8. LaFrenz, Carrie (31 January 2023). "Reject Shop CEO exits after 7 months" . Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  9. "New Best & Less owners force compulsory acquisition". 10 July 2023.