Bunnings unveils ‘unprecedented change’ with biggest move in over two decades
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Bunnings is blazing ahead with their latest product range shakeup, with the hardware retailer announcing their ‘biggest category expansion in 20 years’.
Visitors will soon notice a significant change as the retailer is set to expand its product line-up – in a move that is reportedly designed to cash in on a rapidly-growing $10 billion-dollar sector.
The hardware store has long welcomed pets into its stores, and now, in its biggest shake-up yet, it will attempt to double down on products catering to our furry friends.
The retailer announced that it will go from offering a few hundred lines of pet products to around 1,000 items, which will include food, toys, dog beds, and kennels, across its national network by the end of March.
This move will pit Bunnings against competition from booming pet specialty stores, which have flourished since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Woolworths spent $586 million last year to gain a 55 per cent controlling stake in the parent company of the PETstock chain, Petspiration. The pet store company has over 276 stores, 65 vet clinics, and 162 grooming salons.
PETstock has $979 million in annual sales.
At the time, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci said that the pet sector was a large and growing retail market.
‘Specialty pet is a logical adjacency given the high penetration of pet ownership across Australia and New Zealand,’ he said.
Mr Banducci added: ‘The partnership will allow us to meet more of our customers’ pet family needs with a complementary range of specialty pet products and services, strengthen the Everyday Rewards loyalty program and unlock opportunities for material value creation across both businesses.’
Now this move will see Bunnings and Woolworths compete over control of the pet supply market.
Mike Schneider, Managing Director of Bunnings, told reporters: ‘What we are going to be bringing to life in our stores over the next four weeks is quite a comprehensive step change in our pet range, probably the biggest category expansion in Bunnings for 20 years.’
Bunnings’ new products will offer pet supplies to dogs, cats, and birds, which will sit in a 40-square-metre selling space. It will take up some of the areas previously holding children’s playground equipment, which will now be sold in a smaller area.
‘Sixty per cent of Australians now own at least one pet. It has become a very important part of many, many families across Australia and we think that the connection that people have with the Bunnings brand, bringing those pets into the store, creates a giant advantage,’ Mr Schneider told reporters.
Since 2015, Bunnings has allowed pets to be brought into its stores nationwide as long as they are carried, secured on a lead, or in a shopping trolley.
‘I think the fact that you are already there with your pet creates a natural habitat for people to come in and shop for them,’ Mr Schneider continued.
Australians have enjoyed record levels of pet ownership after a puppy boom during the pandemic. Dog ownership rose 25 per cent between 2019 and 2022, and the number of pet cats skyrocketed by 43 per cent during this time.
There are currently an estimated 28.7 million pets in the country; approximately 69 per cent of households own pets. According to research, dogs are the most popular pets (48 per cent), followed by cats (33 per cent).
Currently, the biggest pet supply retailers include Petbarn and PETstock. However, a significant number of products, including pet food, are bought from supermarkets or discount department stores such as Kmart.
Bunnings is part of Perth-based Wesfarmers, which also owns Kmart, Target, and Officeworks.
The retailer shared that it planned to keep its pet offers simple by selling products only and not including services, such as grooming.
‘We can bring a very, very competitive offer into this market and we think it’s going to be a very good complementary category for us,’ Mr Schneider claimed.
What are your thoughts, members? Are you looking forward to this upcoming expansion as well? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Visitors will soon notice a significant change as the retailer is set to expand its product line-up – in a move that is reportedly designed to cash in on a rapidly-growing $10 billion-dollar sector.
The hardware store has long welcomed pets into its stores, and now, in its biggest shake-up yet, it will attempt to double down on products catering to our furry friends.
The retailer announced that it will go from offering a few hundred lines of pet products to around 1,000 items, which will include food, toys, dog beds, and kennels, across its national network by the end of March.
This move will pit Bunnings against competition from booming pet specialty stores, which have flourished since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bunnings is set to have its biggest expansion in over two decades. Credit: Bunnings
Meanwhile, it was reported that Woolworths spent $586 million last year to gain a 55 per cent controlling stake in the parent company of the PETstock chain, Petspiration. The pet store company has over 276 stores, 65 vet clinics, and 162 grooming salons.
PETstock has $979 million in annual sales.
At the time, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci said that the pet sector was a large and growing retail market.
‘Specialty pet is a logical adjacency given the high penetration of pet ownership across Australia and New Zealand,’ he said.
Mr Banducci added: ‘The partnership will allow us to meet more of our customers’ pet family needs with a complementary range of specialty pet products and services, strengthen the Everyday Rewards loyalty program and unlock opportunities for material value creation across both businesses.’
Now this move will see Bunnings and Woolworths compete over control of the pet supply market.
Mike Schneider, Managing Director of Bunnings, told reporters: ‘What we are going to be bringing to life in our stores over the next four weeks is quite a comprehensive step change in our pet range, probably the biggest category expansion in Bunnings for 20 years.’
Bunnings’ new products will offer pet supplies to dogs, cats, and birds, which will sit in a 40-square-metre selling space. It will take up some of the areas previously holding children’s playground equipment, which will now be sold in a smaller area.
‘Sixty per cent of Australians now own at least one pet. It has become a very important part of many, many families across Australia and we think that the connection that people have with the Bunnings brand, bringing those pets into the store, creates a giant advantage,’ Mr Schneider told reporters.
Since 2015, Bunnings has allowed pets to be brought into its stores nationwide as long as they are carried, secured on a lead, or in a shopping trolley.
Bunnings is a pet-friendly store. Credit: Maksim Goncharenok/Pexels
‘I think the fact that you are already there with your pet creates a natural habitat for people to come in and shop for them,’ Mr Schneider continued.
Australians have enjoyed record levels of pet ownership after a puppy boom during the pandemic. Dog ownership rose 25 per cent between 2019 and 2022, and the number of pet cats skyrocketed by 43 per cent during this time.
There are currently an estimated 28.7 million pets in the country; approximately 69 per cent of households own pets. According to research, dogs are the most popular pets (48 per cent), followed by cats (33 per cent).
Currently, the biggest pet supply retailers include Petbarn and PETstock. However, a significant number of products, including pet food, are bought from supermarkets or discount department stores such as Kmart.
Bunnings is part of Perth-based Wesfarmers, which also owns Kmart, Target, and Officeworks.
The retailer shared that it planned to keep its pet offers simple by selling products only and not including services, such as grooming.
‘We can bring a very, very competitive offer into this market and we think it’s going to be a very good complementary category for us,’ Mr Schneider claimed.
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