The Warehouse Group - Milestones

Milestones

• 1982: First store opens in Wairau Park, Auckland.
• 1988: Second store opens in Market St, Hastings
• 1990: First nationally distributed advertising "mailer'.
• 1991: Sales exceed $100 million.
• 1991: First Warehouse Stationery store is opened.
• 1992: Launch of The Warehouse card.
• 1995: The Warehouse added to the New Zealand Stock Exchange, under the symbol TWH.
• 1996: Opening of North Island Distribution centre.
• 1996: The largest Warehouse store at the time in Invercargill opens and local businesses suffer creating a large amount of empty shops in the city.
• 1998: Introduction of apparel as major department.
• 2000: The Warehouse is added to the NZSE 10 index.
• 2000: Sales exceed $1 billion.
• 2002: The Warehouse celebrates 20 years in operation.
• 2002: The Warehouse opens in Te Kuiti
• 2003: The Warehouse Australia brand is launched, with a total of 126 stores.
• 2004: The Warehouse signifies overall brand change and store format change
• 2005: Lab store launched in the Hamilton suburb of Te Rapa.
• 2005: Warehouse brand relaunched with new lower-case logo and TV ads softened.
• 2005: The Warehouse signifies it's intention to enter the liquor market.
• 2005: The Warehouse announces it will pull out of its Australian operation by Christmas.
• 2005: The Warehouse Australia sold for A$92 million (NZ$99m).
• 2006: The Warehouse begins selling alcoholic beverages in selected stores. Invercargill and Gore stores are excluded from selling alcohol due to local licencing laws.
• 2006: The Warehouse launches the first of its new format stores branded 'The Warehouse Extra' at Sylvia Park, Auckland. The offer includes full grocery as well as a pharmacy, bakery and Photo Processing.
• 2007: The Warehouse celebrate their 25th birthday and to mark the occasion release 13,000 balloons, causing concerns from environmentalists.
• 2008: The Warehouse abandons its full-scale grocery arm operating under the name 'The Warehouse Extra', converting or reverting the few stores involved to the standard format.
• 2009: The first smaller-concept store, The Warehouse Local, opens in Mosgiel.
• 2010: The Warehouse opens a brand new store (now one of the country's largest) in Gisborne. It's the first large format store since the opening of The Warehouse Sylvia Park in 2006.
• 2012: The Warehouse ceases its instore Pharmacy offer.
• 2012: The Warehouse in Hastings is re built as one of New Zealands Largest. The old Warehouse on Market St goes up for sale.
• 2012: The Warehouse opens at the Rugge/Kennedy residence in Watson ACT with everything priced to clear. Customers go wild.