Wesfarmers has handed Bunnings Group control of Blackwoods and Workwear Group, with the transfer set to take effect on July 1. The move puts two major industrial and workwear businesses under the same umbrella as Bunnings, while their brands are expected to keep trading under their own names for now.
The timing is what is driving the search. July 1 is close, and the bunnings wesfarmers merger announcement marks a clear shift in how Wesfarmers is organising some of its biggest B2B and trade-facing assets. Blackwoods, Australia’s largest industrial and safety distributor, and Workwear Group, whose labels include Hard Yakka and King Gee, will both move under Bunnings Group at the start of the new month.
That matters because the two businesses bring real scale. Blackwoods runs six national distribution centres in Canningvale, Regency Park, Scoresby, Greystanes, Carole Park and Mackay, and it has more than 45 branches across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia. Workwear Group covers eight brands, including NNT Uniforms, Hard Yakka and King Gee. Bunnings already has 312 stores nationwide, giving the combined operation a much wider footprint across retail, supply and fulfilment.
Anthony Gianotti said Blackwoods and Workwear Group hold market-leading positions and have continued to grow share after Blackwoods implemented its enterprise resource planning system and simplified and reset its operating models last financial year. He said the transition creates a significant opportunity to use greater scale and capabilities to further improve the customer experience, and that working more closely with Bunnings would unlock growth in the small and medium sized customer segments.
The catch is that the corporate chart is changing faster than the shopfront. Blackwoods and Workwear Group are being brought under Bunnings Group, but the brands are not disappearing with the transfer. For customers, that means the names on invoices, uniforms and industrial supplies are expected to stay familiar even as the ownership structure shifts underneath them.
Mike Schneider said the change would give customers greater access to Blackwoods’ extensive product range and national fulfilment capabilities. He said customers will have more choice, better product availability and an enhanced customer experience. The next fixed point is July 1, when the transition becomes official and Bunnings starts to absorb two businesses that sit close to the core of Australian trade and workwear supply.
