Masters Home Improvement
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail, Home Improvement |
| Founded | September 1, 2011 |
| Defunct | 11 December 2016 |
|
Number of locations
|
63 (before its closure) 0 (after its closure) |
|
Area served
|
Australia |
|
Key people
|
Grant O'Brien (Woolworths Limited CEO), Matt Tyson (Managing Director, Home Improvement), Melinda Smith (Director, Masters) |
| Revenue |
 A$1.1 billion (2016)
|
 A$ -234 million (2016)
|
|
| Parent | Woolworths Limited |
| Website | www |
63 (before its closure)
Masters Home Improvement was an Australian home improvement chain operated by retailer Woolworths Limited. between September 2011 and December 2016. Masters was created as a way for Woolworths Limited to enter the hardware retail space, which has been historically dominated by Bunnings Warehouse, owned by rival Wesfarmers. The two companies also compete with each other with groceries, liquor, fuel and general merchandise.
The venture was ultimately a failure for Woolworths Limited, accumulating losses of over A$3.2 billion over a 7 year period, and caused Woolworths to exit the hardware industry with all stores being closed and sold off in December 2016.
Woolworths announced its plan to enter the Australian hardware sector via a joint venture with U.S. based hardware chain, Lowe's on 25 August 2009.
The original plan was to develop in excess of 150 stores within a 5 year period.
The Masters brand name was announced on 2 May 2011, coinciding with the launch of a website at masters.com.au.Hans Hulsbosch, who has designed brand identities for Woolworths and Qantas designed the Masters brand and logo. At that time, there were 14 stores under contstruction, with building approval for an additional 10.
The first outlet, located in Braybrook, Victoria, opened to tradesmen on 31 August 2011, and the general public on 1 September 2011. In the Sydney Morning Herald, CEO Don Stallings is attributed as saying that staff will be trained for at least 100 hours, and the stores will offer over 35,000 products. Ways in which Masters will differentiate from its competitors include stores which are more brightly lit, more colourful with polished concrete, large colour signage and store displays, it aims to place more emphasis on attracting female shoppers. Buzzers scattered around the store, which, when pressed, will send a nearby staff member to that location to help out a customer, pagers handed to customers which enables them to continue shopping while their paint is tinted, selling more 'non hardware' lines such as whitegoods as well as having McDonald's restaurants and McCafés in selected stores. In June 2012 Masters launched their transactional website that offers more than 30,000 products nationwide. This gave Masters Home Improvement the title of Australia's first online hardware and home improvement retailer.
...
Wikipedia