Grace Bros
Company type | Public |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 1885 |
Founder | Albert Edward Grace Joseph Neal Grace |
Defunct | 2004 |
Fate | Acquired by Myer Holdings Ltd |
Headquarters | , Australia |
Products | Department Store |
Owner | Coles Myer |
Website | www.gracebros.com.au |
Grace Bros was an Australian
History
Grace Bros had a long and rich history of retailing in
Broadway
Sydney's major Grace Bros was located on
The Grace Building
In 1926, the Grace Brothers, Albert Edward and Joseph Neal Grace, purchased a block of land on the corner of York, Clarence and King streets in Sydney, on which they would build the "Grace Building", the jewel in the crown of their retail empire. They believed the site was perfectly positioned for the building they planned would become "The Showpiece of the Company", with new public transport routes and the coming Sydney Harbour Bridge turning York and Clarence Streets in the major city thoroughfares. Company letterhead even showed the building as being "...on the Harbour Bridge Highway." Broadway had been affected by the shift of the city's commercial district toward Circular Quay and the changing public transport routes away from Sydney's South end, and so the Grace Building was to be the company's saviour. The Grace Building was officially opened by Sydney Lord Mayor Ernest Marks on 3 July 1930.
York Street never became the shopping thoroughfare the Grace Brothers had envisaged and, combined with the effects of the
Suburban store growth
Grace Bros opened two small stores in suburban Sydney (now in
In 1965, the
The Castle Hill store which opened on 11 August 2001, was the final store to be opened under the Grace Bros brand and was also the final store to be designed in NSW, with a team at the Roselands support office overseeing all the plans and development. Around the same time, Grace Bros. brought the Megamart furniture and electrical brand into New South Wales, opening superstores in Auburn, Casula (opened 2002) and Alexandria (opened 2003).[7]
Country Stores
Over the years, Grace Bros opened and also acquired other stores as part of its expansion. Notable was the acquisition of publicly listed Queanbeyan and Canberra retailer, JB Young's during late 1979.[8] The JB Young's stores traded under this name until mid 1986 when rebranded to Grace Bros.[9] By acquiring JB Young's, Grace Bros also became the owner of the value positioned, apparel and manchester retailer Fossey's and benefited from stores JB Young's had acquired in their 1974 purchase of NSW retailer John Meagher & Co.
There was a specific "Country Division" within Grace Bros based in Canberra, established in 1985 at the time of the name change from Youngs to Grace Bros. The Country Division was responsible for regional merchandising at the stores including
Some of the stores that have closed include Goulburn (closed 1995),
Taken over
In July 1982, Grace Bros sold its 57% shareholding in
Having been the subject of a battle for control with the
Up until March 2023, despite being a defunct retail chain, the Grace Bros. website was accessible and would only show an old photo of young women who are shopping for glassware. [22]
Grace Bros Removals
Grace Bros Removals was established by Albert Edward and Joseph Neal Grace in Sydney in 1911. It was sold to Brambles who on-sold it in 1994 to Crown Worldwide Group.[23][24][25]
See also
- Anthony Hordern & Sons
- Gowings
- Marcus Clark & Co.
- Mark Foy's
- Department stores around the world
References
- ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
- ^ History Grace Bros
- ^ "Broadway Shopping Centre History". Broadway Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
- ^ "Grace Building". Office of Environment and Heritage. NSW Government. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ "chronology of the Grace Building". Board of Studies NSW. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ Store Locations Grace Bros
- ^ Store Lpcations Grace Bros
- Canberra Times9 January 1980 page 20
- Canberra Times6 February 1986 page 7
- ^ "Tamworth and Nowra Grace Bros Store Closures". NSW Government Hansard. NSW Parliament. Archived from the original on 16 May 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
- ^ "Bairnsdale Myer set to close doors". Australian Broadcasting Corporation Abc.net.au. 2 June 2004. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ 99pc Control after Grace Bros sell stake Canberra Times 23 July 1982 page 16
- ^ Grace Bros and Myer in $65m deal Canberra Times 12 February 1983 page 1
- ^ Grace Bros assumes control of Myer retailing in April Canberra Times 16 February 1983 page 34
- ^ 40 Per Cent of Retailer in Friendly Hands Canberra Times 22 June 1982 page 19
- ^ Woolworths moves on Grace Bros Canberra Times 30 June 1982 page 36
- ^ Grace Bros recommends takeover Canberra Times 20 August 1982 page 12
- ^ FAI grabs a stake in the Grace maze Canberra Times 25 March 1983 page 13
- ^ Bond launches bid to break impasse in Grace Bros Canberra Times 31 March 1983 page 11
- ^ Myer wins Grace saga Canberra Times 16 June 1983 page 22
- ^ "Coles Myer ditches Grace Bros name". B&T magazine. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
- ^ "Grace Bros". Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
- ^ Annual Report for year ended 30 June 1995 Brambles Industries Limited
- ^ Our History Brambles
- Daily Telegraph11 April 2011
Further reading
- Reading the Past in the Grace Building[dead link] at NSW Teaching Heritage
External links
- Myer.
- Grace Removals.
- Grace Information & Records Management
- http://www.grace.com.au/fine-art/ Grace Fine Art]
- Grace Self Storage
- Michael Lech - Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales (2011). "Grace Brothers". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 11 October 2015.