EziBuy

Last updated
EziBuy Limited
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
Founded1978
Founder
  • Peter Gillespie
  • Gerard Gillespie
Headquarters
Auckland City 1010
,
New Zealand
Key people
Acting MD: Edwina Neilson
ProductsWomen's clothes, Children's clothes, Men's clothes, Shoes, Accessories, Homeware
Parent Mosaic Brands
Website ezibuy.com

EziBuy is a New Zealand and Australian multi-channel retailer. It sells clothing, homeware and gifts through a multi-channel model in both countries. [1]

Contents

Products can be purchased through catalogues, and four retail stores around New Zealand. [2] [3] [4] [5] The retailer has a cell centre and distribution centre in Palmerston North, where it has been based since its inception in 1979. [6] [7] [4]

EziBuy featured a wide selection of brands such as Capture, Emerge, Urban and Grace Hill as well as Profile – a corporate clothing company and a shareholding in JK Kids, a nationwide children’s clothing chain. For plus-sized women Ezibuy had Sara, Formfit, Deesse, Isobar Active Plus and Quayside Plus Size. [1]

History

Gillespie era

EziBuy was established in 1978 by brothers Peter and Gerard Gillespie, and their friend John Robinson in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The business began as a catalogue retailer selling womenswear and menswear. The first catalogue was a simple folded, A3 black and white page which was mailed to a list of local organisations in 1978. [8] [9] The Gillespies were joined five years later by Matt Toynbee who they later acknowledged for his huge contribution to the company. [10]

In January 2002, EziBuy purchased Myer Direct from Coles Myer. [11]

In January 2006, the company opened a new distribution centre in Palmerston North. [6]

In 2007 Ezibuy purchased the womenswear retail chain Max Fashions.

EziBuy won the Keith Norris Direct Marketing Organisation of the Year Award in 2012. [12] [13]

Woolworths era

In August 2013, EziBuy was acquired by Woolworths Limited. [14] [15]

At the time of sale, EziBuy was the largest fashion and homeware multi-channel retailer in Australasia. The business mailed over 23 million catalogues every year and processed more than 1.75 million orders annually. [16]

Alceon era

In June 2017, EziBuy was acquired by Alceon Group, a major shareholder of Australian womenswear retailer Noni B, [17] for an undisclosed sum. [18]

In October 2018, Alceon purchased New Zealand children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch for an undisclosed sum, allowing it to relaunch the brand through EziBuy. [19]

Noni B and Mosaic era

Noni B Limited purchased a 50.1 per cent stake in EziBuy from Alceon Group in a $1 peppercorn sale in 2019. [20] The sale was aimed at increasing the retailer's digital sales and giving it access to the New Zealand market. [21] Noni B Limited changed its name to Mosaic Brands in November 2019 and purchased the remaining 49.9 per cent stake for $11 million in October 2021. [22] [23]

In August 2021, EziBuy announced a restructure after posting a $28.9 million loss for the year to June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

In April 2023, Mosaic placed EziBuy into administration, with plans to restructure it. [24] With this the remaining stores were closed down and the retailer went online only. [25]

The brand entered liquidation in July 2023 with creditors owed more than $100 million. [26] [27]

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References

  1. 1 2 Company Overview of EziBuy Limited, Bloomsburg Business Week, archived from the original on August 31, 2014
  2. ↑ "Kiwis still catalogue shopping from the couch - EziBuy". TVNZ. July 18, 2012.
  3. ↑ Future of Catalogue Shopping, TVNZ, July 18, 2012
  4. 1 2 3 Coltman, Karen (18 August 2021). "Ezibuy posts a $28.9 million loss in a year". stuff.co.nz.
  5. ↑ Turner-Cohen, Alex (2023-04-03). "Online shopping retailer goes into administration as sales down 51%". News.com.au. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. 1 2 Ezibuy distribution centre opened in Palmerston North, The National Business Review, July 11, 2006, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2019-10-05
  7. ↑ Wallace Development Company Limited Photo Gallery showing EziBuy Distribution Centre Building in 2005, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2014-09-01
  8. ↑ Big birthday present to Palmerston North, Stuff.co.nz, July 10, 2013
  9. ↑ Ezibuy's 35 years in Palmerston North - TV News Video, TVNZ, July 3, 2013
  10. ↑ "EziBuy Celebrates 30 Years | Scoop News".
  11. ↑ "EziBuy buys Australian catalogue customer database". Wilson & Horton. New Zealand Herald. 27 November 2001.
  12. ↑ 2012 NZDM Award Winners, Marketing Association of NZ, 2012
  13. ↑ The Joy of EziBuy, True Customer Intimacy!, Marketing Association of NZ, July 28, 2013
  14. ↑ Woolworths buys EziBuy in $NZ350m deal, News.com.au, Aug 22, 2013
  15. ↑ Woolworths buys Ezibuy for $350m, The New Zealand Herald, Aug 22, 2013
  16. ↑ Woolies snaps up Kiwi retailer EziBuy, The Sunday Morning Herald, Aug 22, 2013
  17. ↑ Mitchell, Sue (26 January 2017). "Woolworths sells EziBuy to Noni B shareholder Alceon Group". Australian Financial Review.
  18. ↑ McBeth, Paul (26 June 2017). "Woolworths sells EziBuy for undisclosed sum to Sydney investment firm Alceon". National Business Review.
  19. ↑ "Pumpkin Patch brand set to relaunch". Allied Press. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. 25 October 2018.
  20. ↑ Powell, Dominic (21 November 2019). "'Try before you buy': Noni B snaps up EziBuy for $1 to boost online sales". Sydney Morning Herald.
  21. ↑ Bailey, Imogen (21 November 2019). "Fashion retailer acquired, as sales set to skyrocket to $200 million". Yaffa. Rag Trader.
  22. ↑ "Mosaic Brands Limited (MOZ.AX) company profile & facts". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  23. ↑ Blake, Dean (2021-09-30). "Mosaic Brands completes $11m EziBuy purchase to fuel online growth". Inside Retail. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  24. ↑ Turner-Cohen, Alex (2023-04-03). "Online shopping retailer goes into administration as sales down 51%". News.com.au. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  25. ↑ "Founder laments Ezibuy downfall". NZ Herald. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  26. ↑ "EziBuy tipped into liquidation by creditors". NZ Herald. 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  27. ↑ Taunton, Esther (2023-07-20). "Online retailer Ezibuy goes into liquidation owing more than $100m". Stuff. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
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