Michael Hill Jeweller

Last updated

Michael Hill International Limited
Michael Hill Jeweller
Company type Public
ASX:  MHJ
NZX: MHJ
Industry Retail
Founded1979 (1979) in Whangārei, New Zealand
Headquarters Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Number of locations
281 (April 2023) [1]
Area served
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Canada
Key people
Michael Hill (Founder President)
Emma Hill (Chairman)
Daniel Bracken (CEO)
Products Jewellery
BrandsMichael Hill, Emma & Roe
RevenueIncrease2.svg$489 million NZD (30 June 2011) [2]
Website michaelhill.com.au (AU)
michaelhill.co.nz (NZ)
michaelhill.ca (CA)

Michael Hill International Ltd. is a speciality retailer of jewellery. As of April 2023, it operates 281 stores in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. [1] The Group employs approximately 2,600 permanent employees. [3] The company's headquarters are in Brisbane, Australia.

Contents

History

Michael Hill and family in front of their first store Michael Hill - first NZ store.jpg
Michael Hill and family in front of their first store

The company started in 1979, when Michael Hill and his wife, Christine, opened their first store in the New Zealand town of Whangārei. A unique retail jewellery formula that included dramatically different store designs, a product range devoted exclusively to jewellery and almost saturation levels of high impact advertising elevated the company to national prominence. [2] The company also received several international awards for window-dressing from renowned brands such as Bulova, Olympic and Omega. [4]

The company grew steadily, expanding to 10 stores by 1987, the same year it listed on the NZX. Also in this year, Michael Hill Jeweller expanded into Australia, opening four stores in four weeks. [5]

In 2000, Michael Hill Jeweller had 40 stores in New Zealand, including 12 in Auckland. [6]

In 2002, the company expanded into Canada, opening its first stores in Vancouver, British Columbia. [4] Michael Hill now has a presence in five Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. [2] In September 2008, the company entered the United States market by acquiring 17 stores in Illinois and Missouri from Whitehall Jewelers. [2] [7] By mid-2013 over 60% of overall sales were from Australia, only 20% from New Zealand, with the rest from North America. [8]

Emma Hill, the daughter of Michael Hill, succeeded him as chairperson after the November 2015 annual general meeting. [9]

In April 2018, Michael Hill closed their nine remaining stores in the US. [10]

In April 2023, Michael Hill announced it would acquire Australian jewellery chain Bevilles and its 26 stores for A$45 million. [1]

In 2024, Michael Hill appointed Miranda Kerr as its brand ambassador. [11] [12]

Michael Hill watches

MHJ Watches logo.png

In late 2006, following a five-year trial, [13] the company launched its own brand of watches under the Michael Hill name, phasing out all but the Citizen brand of watches by the middle of 2007. [14] By mid-2008, only Michael Hill-brand watches were available in the company's stores. [7]

Timeline

Michael Hill Jeweller at the Chadstone Shopping Centre Michael hill in Chadstone Shopping Centre 2017.JPG
Michael Hill Jeweller at the Chadstone Shopping Centre
Michael Hill Jeweller at the Upper Canada Mall Michael Hill Jeweller Upper Canada Mall 2012.jpg
Michael Hill Jeweller at the Upper Canada Mall

Related Research Articles

<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">The Warehouse Group</span> New Zealand retail group

The Warehouse Group (TWG) was established by Stephen Tindall in 1982 and is the largest retail group in operation in New Zealand. It is a corporate conglomerate that consists of The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming, 1-day, and TheMarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Cleef & Arpels</span> Luxury jeweler

Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company. It was founded in 1896 by the Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris. Their pieces often feature flowers, animals, and fairies, and have been worn by style icons and royalty such as Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Diana, Princess of Wales, Ava Gardner, Farah Pahlavi, Eva Perón, Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, Queen Nazli of Egypt, and Queen Camilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulgari</span> Italian luxury fashion house

Bulgari is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briscoe Group</span> New Zealand retail company

Briscoe Group is a New Zealand retail chain. It has 92 stores throughout New Zealand trading under the Briscoes Homeware (48) and Rebel Sport (44) nameplates. The company was founded in 1861 in Dunedin, New Zealand, providing wares to gold miners. Profit in 2022 was $88.4 million. It has 2,300 staff in 90 stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Bensimon</span> Egyptian-Australian businessman

Albert Bensimon is an Egyptian-Australian businessman from Adelaide, South Australia. He is most well known as the owner of Shiels Jewellers. He frequently appeared in television advertisements and became famous for his catchphrase "No Hoo-Haa".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restaurant Brands</span> New Zealand fast food company

Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited, trading as Restaurant Brands, is a New Zealand fast food company. Restaurant Brands currently operates and owns the master franchising rights for the Carl's Jr., KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands in New Zealand. Restaurant Brands operates most of New Zealand's stores for the brands they own rights to and provides management and support services to New Zealand's independent franchisees of the remaining stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mappin & Webb</span> British silversmith and jewellery company

Mappin & Webb is an international jewellery company headquartered in England, tracing its origins to a silver workshop founded in Sheffield in 1775. It now has retail stores throughout the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Hill (entrepreneur)</span> New Zealand businessman

Sir Richard Michael Hill is a New Zealand jeweller, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded global jewellery retailer Michael Hill Jeweller and Michael Hill 1979. He retired as the company's chairman in November 2015. He currently resides in Arrowtown and has won the CNZM Award in 2002, Ernst & Young's 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year and the KNZM Award in 2011 in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Pascoe Group</span> New Zealand retail company (1906)

The James Pascoe Ltd Group of Companies is a privately owned New Zealand retail group with holdings across New Zealand and Australia. JPG owns and operates chains Pascoes the Jewellers, Stewart Dawsons and Goldmark ; department store Farmers ; homeware retailer Stevens; and bookshop Whitcoulls in New Zealand. The group's three Australian businesses are jewellers Prouds the Jewellers, Angus & Coote and Goldmark, with over 460 stores across Australia as of 2012. Goldmark is the only brand operating in both countries.

Shiels Jewellers is an Australian jewellery retailer and was founded by Jack Shiels in Adelaide in 1945. Since then, Shiels has expanded to 40 stores across South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, employing over 450 people. Shiels remains headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, and currently sells bridal and diamond jewellery in a variety of metals, leather items, gemstone jewellery and watches for women, men and children. Shiels Jewellers is renowned for its quality, affordable diamond range and markets itself as the home of the 1 carat diamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldmark Jeweller</span> Australian jewelry retailer (1979)

Goldmark Jeweller is an Australian jewellery retailer. It was one of the brands included with the Angus & Coote purchase in March 2007 by James Pascoe Group. The current logo was introduced in 2000. Goldmark has over 130 stores across Australia, with over 1,000 employees throughout Australia and New Zealand. Goldmark sells jewellery as well as fashion brand watches. Before JPG ownership, in January 2003, Goldmark launched the gClub loyalty program. In June 2009 the gClub card was introduced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovisa (company)</span> Jewellery retail chain

Lovisa Holdings Limited is an Australian jewellery chain founded in Sydney in April 2010. This fast fashion jewellery brand was launched by Australian billionaire Brett Blundy, the former chairman of BB Retail Capital (BBRC). As of July 2023, Lovisa has 801 stores across 39 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, France and the United States. Lovisa also has franchised stores in the Middle East and Vietnam.

LiquorLand is a franchise of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs. LiquorLand is part of the Fly Buys and Airpoints loyalty schemes.

Retailing in New Zealand is an important sector in the economy of New Zealand, as a channel for a large proportion of household spending and international visitor spending.

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

Overland Footwear Group is a New Zealand and Australian footwear and fashion retail company. It operates the Merchant 1948 and Mi Piaci retail chains in both countries and produces its own footwear lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accent Group</span> Australian multinational clothing retail company (1988)

Accent Group is an Australian and New Zealand footwear and clothing retail, wholesaling and distribution company. It has more than 800 retail stores, along with 19 brands, and more than 20 online platforms.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Adams, David (20 April 2023). "Family-run Bevilles cashes out for $45 million as Michael Hill takes ownership of jewellery retailer". SmartCompany. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Michael Hill International (2010). "Michael Hill International Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  3. "Michael Hill Annual Report 2018".
  4. 1 2 Hill, Michael (2009). Toughen Up: What I've learned about surviving tough times. New Zealand: Random House. pp. 203–204. ISBN   978-1-86979-046-2.
  5. Hill, Michael; Bryan Staff (1994). HELLO – Michael Hill Jeweller. New Zealand: Penguin Books. ISBN   978-0-670-86033-3.
  6. "New Zealand Store Locations". michaelhill.co.nz. Michael Hill Jewellers. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000.
  7. 1 2 "Michael Hill buys into US". 31 January 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  8. Fairfax NZ Ltd (17 February 2006), Michael Hill profit up 10 per cent , retrieved 17 August 2013
  9. Harris, Catherine (15 August 2015). "Following in dad's footsteps". The Press . p. C15.
  10. "No buyers for Michael Hill's failed US stores". Newsroom. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  11. "Miranda Kerr on Michael Hill, Vegemite and morning routines". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  12. "Michael Hill announces Miranda Kerr as brand ambassador in extraordinary brand transformation". Business Wire. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  13. McKenzie-Minifie, Martha (25 August 2006), "Diamonds are this jeweller's best friend", The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand, retrieved 5 May 2010
  14. 1 2 Drinnan, John (13 October 2006), "Jeweller counting on own watches", The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand, retrieved 5 May 2010
  15. 1 2 Michael Hill International (2010). "Michael Hill Company History". Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  16. Michael Hill International (2010). "Michael Hill News". Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  17. NZPA (2010). "Michael Hill scales back US operation". Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  18. "Michael Hill in trans-Tasman tax dispute" . Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  19. Walters, Laura (30 October 2013). "Michael Hill plans US bridal range". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  20. "Slag Aussie sales hit Michael Hill". Stuff. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  21. "Michael Hill opens New York store". Stuff. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  22. "Aussie market picks up for Michael Hill jewellery". 13 October 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  23. "Michael Hill takes new founder president role within the jewellery chain". The National Business Review. Retrieved 1 January 2016.