Hill and Stewart

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Hill and Stewart
Founded1951;71 years ago (1951) in Auckland, New Zealand
FounderSt John Hill, John Stewart
Defunct2010 (2010)
Area served
 New Zealand
Products Household appliances
Owner JB Hi-Fi (2006-2010)

Hill and Stewart was a chain of appliance and electronics stores in Auckland, operating between 1951 and 2010. [1]

Contents

History

1950s-1980s

The company was founded by war veteran St John Hill and his business partner John Stewart in Auckland CBD in 1951. [1] Hill was operating a secondhand appliance shop on Wyndham Street, when the pair gained a sought-after franchise to sell Fisher and Paykel appliances and opened their first shop on Queen Street. [1]

The business was successful, and opened new stores in Karangahape Road, Takapuna and Newmarket over the next few years. In 1999, there were ten stores around Auckland. [2]

Stewart's home phone number appeared on the chain's advertisements for many years, so that customers could contact him directly with any problems they had. Few people actually rang him, and those who did were unfailingly polite. [1]

1980-2006

Most stores were sold to owner-operators by the early 1980s, but still operated under the Hill and Stewart name. [1]

Stewart sold the last company store in Takapuna in 1987. [1]

Hill and Stewart was sentenced for breaching the Fair Trading Act twice in 1999, [2] and once in 2007. [3]

2006-2010

The chain was purchased by JB Hi-Fi in 2006, to operate alongside its own network of stores. [4] [5] There were 11 Hill and Stewart branded stores in 2007. [3]

Six Hill and Stewart stores were still operating in 2009. One was rebranded as JB Hi-Fi, three were closed in the latter half of 2009, and the final two were closed in early 2010. [6] The Westfield St Lukes store continued to operate until stock was sold out. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Slade, Maria (14 January 2010). "Closing time for Hill and Stewart after 60 years". APN News & Media. New Zealand Herald.
  2. 1 2 "Hill & Stewart's second Fair Trading conviction". Commerce Commission. 30 July 1999.
  3. 1 2 "Hill & Stewart guilty of 14 charges under Fair Trading Act". Commerce Commission. 30 November 2007.
  4. ↑ "JB Hi-Fi buys NZ chain for $15m". The Sydney Morning Herald – smh.com.au. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Acquisition of New Zealand Retailer Hill & Stewart" (PDF). JB Hi-Fi. 12 December 2006.
  6. ↑ Newton, Gary (9 August 2010). "JB Hi-Fi reports loss in NZ but continues to expand". Allied Press. Otago Daily Times.
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