Guthrie Bowron

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Guthrie Bowron
Founded1896;128 years ago (1896) in Dunedin, New Zealand
FoundersHenry Guthrie, George Bowron
Headquarters
Auckland
,
New Zealand
Area served
 New Zealand
Products Paint, wallpaper, flooring, curtains and blinds
Website guthriebowron.co.nz

Guthrie Bowron is a franchise of New Zealand home improvement stores established in 1896. [1] [2] It sells a range of home decorating supplies, including paint, wallpaper, flooring, curtains and blinds. [1]

Contents

There are 51 Guthrie Bowron stores around New Zealand, including five in Auckland. [1]

History

Private company (1896-1963)

The Guthrie Brown company was established in 1896 in Dunedin man Henry Guthrie. George Bowron later came on as a business partner, and the pair travelled around the South Island selling a range of products. [3]

In the mid-1920s, the company started importing what were the base ingredients for paint at the time: lacquer, varnish, lead and linseed oil. [3]

In 1932, the company became an agent for Dulux Paints; it opened a wallpaper store in Christchurch a short time later. [3]

Public company (1963-1971)

Guthrie Bowron became a publicly listed company in 1963. [3]

By 1969, it had 18 branches around the country selling a range of paint and wallpaper. [3]

Dulux Paints ownership (1971-1992)

In 1971, Guthrie Bowrown was purchased by ICI NZ, the owner and manufacturer of Dulux Paints. [3]

The Masterton franchisee opened in 1973. [2] The Waitara, Taranaki store opened as Bedfords Colour Centre about the same time, before becoming a Guthrie Bowron store 49 years later. [4]

In 1985, the brand had 34 outlets. [3]

Management ownership (1992-2005)

A group of senior managers took over the company in 1992. [3]

There were 50 Guthrie Bowron stores in 1999. [5]

Waterman Capital (2005-2014)

Private equity firm Waterman Private Capital acquired the paint store brand in May 2005. [6] [7] It relaunched the brand to incorporate other forms of home decorating, such as curtains, blinds and flooring. [8] The franchise otherwise continued as normal. [9]

Guthrie Bowron recorded an 8% increase in wallpaper sales between 2011 and 2012, and a 18% increase between 2012 and 2013. The company said wallpaper was becoming a fashion item, and many home decorators were using it to create a feature wall rather than using throughout the entire room. [10]

Waterman trialed a new format in 2012, with a flagship company store at Sylvia Park in Mount Wellington, Auckland. [11]

Management ownership (2014-)

Waterman sold Guthrie Bowron through another management buy-out in 2014. [8] [11]

In 2015, many franchises had been operating for two decades and the business model was profitable. [2]

In 2016, Guthrie Bowron had 42 stores. [12]

In February 2017, some franchisors told the National Business Review they were concerned about the recent closures of new format stores in Sylvia Park, Silverdale, Auckland and Christchurch. [11] A unspecified number of franchisors called for greater mandatory disclosure provisions. [13]

Guthrie Bowron stores were required to close during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in 2020. The Timaru store reported being very busy when it reopened in late April. [14] The store in Te Awamutu reported being "busy as" as in July, despite the local Bunnings and Warehouse Stationery stores closing due to falling revenue. [15]

Global supply chain shortages affected Guthrie Bowron stores in 2021, including manufacturers not being able to source raw materials. [16]

Guthrie Bowron came second to Resene in the painting and home decorating category of the Reader's Digest customer service survey in 2021. [17] It ranked first in the home furnishing category of the Canstar Blue customer satisfaction award in 2021; [18] it came seventh in the same category in 2022. [19]

Sponsorships

Guthrie Bowron stores have sponsored several public projects, including:

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Guthrie Bowron". guthriebowron.co.nz. Guthrie Bowron.
  2. 1 2 3 OSullivan, Patrick (7 November 2015). "Stepping up to a challenge". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Hawke's Bay Today.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "About Guthrie Bowron". guthriebowron.co.nz. Guthrie Bowron.
  4. ↑ Ockhuysen, Stephanie (1 February 2020). "A proud father and grandfather: the family man side of a stubborn but passionate community board chairman". stuff.co.nz. Taranaki Daily News.
  5. ↑ "Then as Now". Marketplace Media. Hardware Journal. 18 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Parker, Tamsyn (6 July 2010). "Super Fund gives $30m boost to smaller firms". New Zealand Herald . APN News & Media.
  7. ↑ O'Neill, Rob (15 May 2011). "Waterman in Working In". Stuff . Stuff.
  8. 1 2 "Waterman Sells Guthrie Bowron". Waterman Private Capital. 5 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Cully, Paul (20 January 2021). "Explainer: What private equity investment would mean for New Zealand Rugby". Stuff . Stuff.
  10. ↑ Harvie, Will (10 August 2013). "Wallpaper makes a comeback". stuff.co.nz. The Press.
  11. 1 2 3 Scherer, Karyn (24 February 2017). "More franchisees claim to have been duped". National Business Review.
  12. ↑ "New colour for a consolidating category". hardwarejournal.co.nz. Marketplace Media.
  13. ↑ Lord, Simon (27 February 2017). "NBR opens regulation debate again". Franchise New Zealand Magazine. Franchise New Zealand.
  14. ↑ Mohanlal, Samesh (28 April 2020). "South Canterbury businesses pleased to be back". stuff.co.nz. Timaru Herald.
  15. ↑ Mather, Mike (20 July 2020). "Bunnings, Warehouse Stationery closures double hit for Te Awamutu". stuff.co.nz. Waikato Times.
  16. ↑ Harris, Catherine (30 April 2021). "Home renovators beware – shipping delays may lead to paint supplies drying up". stuff.co.nz. Stuff Business.
  17. ↑ "Reader's Digest Quality Service Awards". scoop.co.nz. Reader's Digest. 22 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Barratt, Nicole (3 March 2021). "NZ's Top Home Furnishing Store Revealed: Guthrie Bowron". Canstar Blue.
  19. ↑ Pitchers, Bruce (13 April 2022). "Harrisons Curtains & Blinds: Best in Home Furnishings". Canstar Blue.
  20. ↑ "Olympian rower Emma Twigg helps renovate Nelson club". Nelson Mail . Stuff. 5 October 2020.
  21. ↑ Hart, Maria (22 October 2020). "By children, for children: School art project brightens the walls at hospital ward". stuff.co.nz. Marlborough Express.
  22. ↑ Czerwonatis, Julia (18 December 2021). "Immersive Whangārei virtual reality exhibition to lure visitors to revamped Art Museum". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Northern Advocate.
  23. ↑ Rolleston, Te Aorewa (27 March 2022). "Graffiti and dumping hit road a sore spot for Te Kowhai locals". Waikato Times . stuff.co.nz.
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