Wesfarmers Limited

What does Wesfarmers own?
Wesfarmers owns Bunnings Warehouse (home improvement retail), Kmart, Target Australia, Officeworks, Priceline Pharmacy, Blackwoods (industrial supplies), Workwear Group, and WesCEF (chemicals, energy, fertilisers). The company also holds a 50% stake in the Mt Holland lithium project in Western Australia.

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.

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.

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 brands does Wesfarmers own?
Wesfarmers owns eight or more major retail and industrial brands, including Bunnings Warehouse, Kmart, Target Australia, Officeworks, Priceline Pharmacy, Blackwoods, and Workwear Group. The company employs approximately 120,000 people across its businesses.

Who owns Wesfarmers?
Wesfarmers Limited is publicly traded on the ASX with a broad institutional and retail shareholder base. No single shareholder holds a controlling stake. Major institutional shareholders include Australian and international fund managers. Rob Scott serves as Managing Director and CEO and Michael Chaney chairs the board.

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 Mt Holland lithium project in Western Australia, through a joint venture with SQM, positioning the company for potential growth in battery materials.

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.

Wesfarmers has also faced scrutiny regarding the working conditions and pay of workers in its supply chain, particularly in the apparel supply chains for Kmart and Target Australia.