- Mitre 10
Infobox Company
company_name = Mitre 10 Hardware Group
company_
company_type =Public company
genre =
foundation = Victoria,Australia in1959
founder = Tom Molomby, Tom Danaher, Reg Buchanan, Jack Womersley and Ian Nisbet.
location_city =
location_country =
location =
origins =
key_people =
area_served =
industry = Retail/Trade Hardware
products =
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
owner =
company_slogan = All the Help You Need (Mega) / Finally, someone's fixing hardware (Aus)
homepage = http://www.mitre10.com.au (Australia) http://www.mitre10.co.nz (New Zealand)
dissolved =
footnotes = Mitre 10 is ahardware store chain operating in thePacific region, with 900 locations in all states ofAustralia as well asNew Zealand . The operations in Australia and New Zealand are two separate companies, each based on a co-operative system where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights. The chain name references themitre joint , but was inspired by the Mitre Tavern inMelbourne . [ [http://www.mitre10.co.nz/about_us/index.cfm About Us - Mitre10.co.nz] ]History
The move to set up a co-operative group of hardware stores, originated from a meeting held in Victoria, June
1959 , with five men who would become Mitre 10's founding fathers — Tom Molomby, Tom Danaher, Reg Buchanan, Jack Womersley and Ian Nisbet. The meeting was held in the Mitre Tavern, and the group eventually hoped to build things up to ten stores, so they decided to call the company Mitre 10. This move occurred specifically to maximize funds and energy with regards to advertising and promotions and to demonstrate that independent operators offered service, advice and competitive prices. The group quickly grew in membership to the point where it required a full time management team.The new company soon expanded operations, with fifteen
New South Wales members joining the group by February1961 .Queensland soon followed with seven retailers, under the chairmanship of Arthur Scurr, joining the cooperative in January1962 , followed by a further sixteen members from Newcastle in October the same year. With the company successfully operational in the three Eastern states by the end of 1962 andSouth Australia andWestern Australia soon running their own state based co-operatives, attentions turned to crossing the Tasman. After initial early discussions in Auckland, Mitre 10 New Zealand was established onJune 20 ,1974 .Mitre 10 is currently in dispute with its workers at the Derrimut distribution centre and their union, the National Union of Workers. Having used Work Choices laws, a legacy of John Howard's Coalition government, to walk away from an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement [http://www.wagenet.gov.au/WageNet/Search/View.ASP?docid=278597&query=(MITRE%2010%20HALLAM)&quickview=Y] and create a new Greenfields Agreement with themselves [http://www.workplaceauthority.gov.au/docs/CAs/CAEGN061212575.pdf] , the company now only guarantees minimum wage for its employees. Mitre 10 is currently not allowing union members at the distribution centre to meet with their union during unpaid break time.A blog has been established [http://www.mitre10.blogspot.com] that discusses this issue and contains footage of the protests that are occuring at Mitre 10 retail stores.
Mitre 10 Store Types
The Mitre 10 Hardware Group has four types of store. Mega, Handy, Solutions, Home & Trade.
Mitre 10 Mega
Mega is designed a one stop shop for big project, to compete with Bunnings originally started in new Zealand. Mitre 10 itself owns two Mega stores with the rest being redeveloped up from smaller normal Mitre 10 stores. Mega stores stores have been more successful in New Zealand, than ones in Australia with the Mitre 10 one especially struggiling.
Other Types
* Mitre 10 Handy
* Mitre 10 Solutions
* Mitre 10 Home & TradeReferences
External links
*Mitre 10 Australia: [http://www.mitre10.com.au http://www.mitre10.com.au]
*Mitre 10 New Zealand: [http://www.mitre10.co.nz http://www.mitre10.co.nz]Mitre 10 Workers Blog [http://www.mitre10.blogspot.com]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.