- Masters Home Improvement
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Masters Home Improvement 
Industry Home Improvement retail Number of locations 5 Area served Australia Key people Michael Luscombe (Woolworths Limited CEO), Grant O'Brien (Woolworths Limited CEO Designate), Don Stallings (CEO), Melinda Smith (COO) Parent Woolworths Limited, Lowe's Website masters.com.au Masters Home Improvement is the trading name of an Australian Home Improvement chain, operated by a joint venture between Australian Retailer Woolworths Limited and U.S. Based hardware chain, Lowe's [1]. Masters was created as a way for Woolworths Limited to crack into the hardware retail space, which has been historically dominated by Bunnings Warehouse, which is owned by arch rival Wesfarmers. The two companies already compete with each other with groceries and general merchandise.
The brand name was announced on the 2nd of May, 2011[2], coinciding with the launch of a website at masters.com.au[3]. Hans Hulsbosch, who has designed brand identities for Woolworths & Qantas designed the Masters brand and logo[4].
The first outlet, located in Braybrook, Victoria, opened to tradies on 31 August 2011, and the general public on 1 September 2011. [5]. 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[6]. 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 emphases 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.
References
- ^ "Masters Plan For DIY Market". theage.com.au. http://www.theage.com.au/business/masters-plan-for-diy-market-20110502-1e55r.html. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Woolworths reveals plans for hardware venture". theaustralian.com.au. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/woolworths-reveals-plans-for-hardware-venture/story-e6frg9h6-1226048704056. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Masters Website". Masters Home Improvement. http://masters.com.au. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Billion dollar battle for DIY". australiancreative.com.au. http://www.australiancreative.com.au/news/billion-dollar-battle-for-diy. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Woolworths reveals plans for hardware venture". theaustralian.com.au. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/woolworths-reveals-plans-for-hardware-venture/story-e6frg9h6-1226048704056. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "Woolies aims to master hardware". smh.com.au. http://www.smh.com.au/business/woolies-aims-to-master-hardware-20110502-1e4y6.html. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
External links
Categories:- Hardware stores
- Retail companies of Australia
- Building materials companies of Australia
- Woolworths Limited
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