The $22 million acquisition of HBT National Buying Group by Stealth Group has boosted profits for the Western Australia-based company. CEO Mike Arnold cited increased scale and operational efficiencies as a key source of stronger results and a strong forecast for FY2026/27 growth.
Bunnings' decision to vacate its site at a retail centre in Bunbury, and shift to Dalyellup, 10 kilometres away in the neighbouring Shire of Capel, has sparked a public outcry from the city's business community, mayor, and politicians. It comes as the Bunbury CBD continues efforts for revitalisation, with businesses concerned moving Bunnings further away from the city centre will have knock-on effects.
A large-scale development property in Millingandi on the NSW South Coast has been brought to market. It is tipped to become the region's dominant large-format retail and hardware precinct. Positioned on the Princes Highway, approximately 23 kilometres from Bega and 183 kilometres south-east of Canberra, the site comprises two titles, including 13.6 hectares of developable land.
The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Association has lodged a formal work, health and safety dispute complaint to the SA Employment Tribunal over rostering issues at the store. It alleges too few people are rostered at a time to meet the store's "unachievable" demands, sparking hostility from customers frustrated by difficulty finding a worker and waiting for considerable time because not enough check-outs are open.
Roxby Downs Mitre 10, located over 500 kilometres north of Adelaide (SA), will take over as the town's new post office operators. It will continue offering the same ranges of services and trading hours. Without a post office in Roxby Downs, locals would have been forced to trek to Andamooka - about 31km northeast - or Woomera, about 80km south, for postal services.
Bunnings' strategy presentation continued the category expansions introduced in 2025, including white good appliances and solar. Einhell is also going to supply a captive brand of trade pro tools, adding to its existing supply of XU-1, Ozito and Full Boar tools to the big-box retailer.
A Mitre 10 store owner in regional Queensland is fighting to stop Wesfarmers from opening a new Bunnings warehouse directly next door to his own store. David Woodman is attempting to use the Competition and Consumer Act to prevent this expansion in Jimboomba -classified now as an "outer suburb" of Brisbane, some 50km to the south of Queensland's state capital.
As of 1 July 2026, Wesfarmers' Industrial and Safety division, consisting of Workwear Group and Blackwoods, will become part of Bunnings Group. While this is a consolidation that would seem to make sense, it might also be an indication of Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott's strategic plans for the conglomerate as a whole.
