Wesfarmers Limited

What does Wesfarmers own?
Wesfarmers owns Bunnings Warehouse (home improvement retail), Kmart, Target Australia, Officeworks, Wesfarmers Health (including Priceline Pharmacy, Clear Skincare, Soul Pattinson Chemist, Silk Laser Clinics), Blackwoods (industrial supplies), Workwear Group, WesCEF (chemicals, energy, fertilisers), and Catch (online marketplace). The company also holds a 50% stake in the Covalent Lithium joint venture (Mt Holland lithium project) in Western Australia with SQM.

Is Wesfarmers publicly traded?
Yes, Wesfarmers Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under ticker WES. The company has been publicly listed since 1984, having converted from a cooperative structure. Wesfarmers has a broad institutional and retail shareholder base with no single controlling shareholder, and is owned by more than 480,000 shareholders.

What is Wesfarmers' annual revenue?
Wesfarmers reported revenue of A$45.7 billion for fiscal year 2025 (ended June 30, 2025), up 3.4% from A$44.2 billion in FY2024. Net profit after tax was A$2.93 billion, up 14.4% year over year. Earnings before interest and tax totaled A$4.47 billion, up 11.9%. The company declared a full-year ordinary dividend of 206 cents per share plus a capital management distribution of 150 cents per share.

Who founded Wesfarmers?
Wesfarmers was founded in 1914 in Perth, Western Australia as the Western Australian Farmers Cooperative, providing services and supplies to farmers. George James Brockman and Walter Harper were among the founding figures. The company converted from a cooperative to a publicly listed company in 1984, listing on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Where is Wesfarmers headquartered?
Wesfarmers is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. The company has maintained its headquarters in Perth since its founding, reflecting its origins as a Western Australian farmers' cooperative. Wesfarmers operates businesses across Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.

How many employees does Wesfarmers have?
Wesfarmers employed approximately 118,000 team members as of June 2025, making it one of Australia's largest private sector employers. The company's largest division by headcount is Kmart Group with approximately 38,000 team members. Wesfarmers employed 4,163 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members as of June 2025.

Who is the CEO of Wesfarmers?
Rob Scott has served as Managing Director and CEO since 2017. The board is chaired by Michael Chaney, who is scheduled to be succeeded by Ken MacKenzie from the conclusion of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Under Scott's leadership, Wesfarmers has expanded into health through the API acquisition and lithium through the Covalent Lithium joint venture.

What is the Bunnings UK failure?
Between 2016 and 2018, Wesfarmers attempted to expand Bunnings into the United Kingdom and Ireland by acquiring Homebase for approximately A$1.7 billion. The venture failed due to differences in the UK home improvement market and Bunnings's inability to replicate its Australian model. Wesfarmers exited the UK market, writing off the investment, which remains one of the most significant Australian retail expansion failures.

Wesfarmers was founded in 1914 in Perth, Western Australia as the Western Australian Farmers Cooperative, providing services and supplies to farmers in the state. The cooperative model served the agricultural community for decades, providing fuel, fertilisers, and other farm supplies.

The company converted from a cooperative to a publicly listed company in 1984, listing on the Australian Securities Exchange. This transition enabled Wesfarmers to access capital markets and pursue a more aggressive diversification strategy.

Wesfarmers's most transformative acquisition was Coles Group in 2007 for approximately A$22 billion, which included the Coles supermarkets, Kmart, Target, Officeworks, and other retail businesses. The acquisition made Wesfarmers one of Australia's largest retailers and significantly expanded its scale and geographic reach.

Bunnings, acquired by Wesfarmers in 1994, became the group's most valuable business. Under Wesfarmers's ownership, Bunnings expanded from a regional Western Australian chain to a national home improvement retailer dominating the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Wesfarmers demerged Coles Group (supermarkets and liquor) as an independent listed company in November 2018, retaining Kmart, Target, Officeworks, and Bunnings. The demerger allowed Wesfarmers to focus on its highest-returning businesses and simplify its portfolio.

In 2021, Wesfarmers acquired Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API), the owner of Priceline Pharmacy and other health businesses, for approximately A$764 million, marking the company's entry into the health sector.

Wesfarmers also holds a 50% stake in the Covalent Lithium joint venture (Mt Holland lithium project) in Western Australia with SQM, positioning the company for potential growth in battery materials. The project includes a mine and concentrator in operation and a refinery under development.

In FY2025, Wesfarmers reported record financial results. Revenue reached A$45.7 billion, up 3.4% from A$44.2 billion in FY2024. Earnings before interest and tax totaled A$4.47 billion, up 11.9%, and net profit after tax reached A$2.93 billion, up 14.4%. The company declared a full-year ordinary dividend of 206 cents per share (fully franked), up 4%, plus a proposed capital management distribution of 150 cents per share. The group's retail divisions traded well in the first eight weeks of FY2026, with Bunnings sales growth strengthening compared to the second half of FY2025.

Wesfarmers recognises the alignment between sustainability performance and long-term shareholder value. In FY2025, the group's Scope 1 and Scope 2 (market-based) emissions reduced 9.3% to 1,026.6 ktCO2e, down from 1,132.4 ktCO2e in FY2024. Bunnings and Officeworks achieved their 100% renewable electricity targets during the year, and Kmart Group achieved its 100% renewable electricity target in October 2025, matching the electricity needs of 447 stores, 10 distribution centres, and 12 offices with renewable sources.

Kmart Group is committed to achieving net-zero Scope 1 and 2 (market-based) emissions by 2030, with a strategy based on improving energy efficiency, matching electricity needs with renewable sources, and reducing reliance on natural gas. Kmart Group's FY2025 Scope 1 and 2 emissions were 51.8% below its 2018 baseline.

The group's Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) improved to 9.5 in FY2025 from 11.0 in FY2024, reflecting multi-year safety improvement programs. Wesfarmers employed 4,163 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members as of June 2025. The board and leadership team achieved 50% gender balance (women as a percentage of total) in FY2025, up from 43% in FY2024.

Wesfarmers has an ethical sourcing program across its supply chains, particularly for Kmart and Target apparel. Kmart Group conducted 1,409 third-party ethical sourcing audits across 1,161 Tier 1 supplier sites in FY2025, and published factory lists including Tier 1, 2, and 3 facilities on its websites for transparency.

In August 2025, Kmart faced Federal Court action filed by the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association (AUTWA), represented by Maurice Blackburn and the Human Rights Law Centre. The group sought documents from Kmart relating to two clothing suppliers, Jiangsu Guotai Guosheng Co Ltd and Jiangsu Lianfa Textile Co Ltd, that have been linked to forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The case alleged that Kmart may have engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct under consumer law by publicly claiming to be a sustainable and ethical company while potentially sourcing from factories linked to forced labour. Kmart denied the allegations, stating it had maintained an ethical sourcing program for over 15 years and was the first Australian retailer to publicly disclose its factory list.

Wesfarmers's attempted expansion of Bunnings into the United Kingdom and Ireland between 2016 and 2018 was a significant failure. The company invested approximately A$1.7 billion in the venture before exiting, writing off the investment. The failure was attributed to differences in the UK home improvement market and Bunnings's inability to replicate its Australian model in a different retail environment.

In April 2025, Wesfarmers faced scrutiny over its Indigenous procurement dealings after whistleblower allegations were submitted to ASIC and Supply Nation regarding the governance structure of Geared Up Culcha, a supplier 49% owned by Wesfarmers subsidiary Blackwoods. The allegations raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and "black cladding" risks. Geared Up Culcha's founder stated the company adhered to strict protocols to manage its relationship with Wesfarmers and was a Supply Nation certified business.