EziBuy is a New Zealand and Australian multi-channel retailer. It sells clothing, homeware and gifts through a multi-channel model in both countries. Products can be purchased through catalogues, and four retail stores around New Zealand. The retailer has a cell centre and distribution centre in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

, where it has been based since its inception in 1979. EziBuy featured a wide selection of brands such as Capture, Emerge, Urban and Grace Hill as well as Profile – a corporate clothing company and a shareholding in JK Kids, a nationwide children’s clothing chain. For plus-sized women Ezibuy had Sara, Formfit, Deesse, Isobar Active Plus and Quayside Plus Size.

History

Gillespie era

EziBuy was established in 1978 by brothers Peter and Gerard Gillespie, and their friend John Robinson in

, New Zealand. The business began as a catalogue retailer selling womenswear and menswear. The first catalogue was a simple folded, A3 black and white page which was mailed to a list of local organisations in 1978. The Gillespies were joined five years later by Matt Toynbee who they later acknowledged for his huge contribution to the company. In January 2002, EziBuy purchased Myer Direct from

Coles Myer Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of li ...

. In January 2006, the company opened a new distribution centre in Palmerston North. In 2007 Ezibuy purchased the womenswear retail chain Max Fashions. EziBuy won the Keith Norris Direct Marketing Organisation of the Year Award in 2012.

Woolworths era

In August 2013, EziBuy was acquired by

Woolworths Limited Woolworths Group Limited is an Australian trans-Tasman retailer headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney, with extensive operations throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the largest company in Australia by revenue and the second-largest in N ...

. At the time of sale, EziBuy was the largest fashion and homeware multi-channel retailer in

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

. The business mailed over 23 million catalogues every year and processed more than 1.75 million orders annually.

Alceon era

In June 2017, EziBuy was acquired by Alceon Group, a major shareholder of Australian womenswear retailer Noni B, for an undisclosed sum. In October 2018, Alceon purchased New Zealand children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch for an undisclosed sum, allowing it to relaunch the brand through EziBuy.

Noni B and Mosaic era

Noni B Limited purchased a 50.1 per cent stake in EziBuy from Alceon Group in a $1

peppercorn Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diamet ...

sale in 2019. The sale was aimed at increasing the retailer's digital sales and giving it access to the New Zealand market. Noni B Limited changed its name to Mosaic Brands in November 2019 and purchased the remaining 49.9 per cent stake for $11 million in October 2021. In August 2021, EziBuy announced a restructure after posting a $28.9 million loss for the year to June 2021 during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In April 2023, Mosaic placed EziBuy into administration, with plans to restructure it.

References

External links

* {{Retailers in New Zealand Retail companies of New Zealand Mail-order retailers Retail companies established in 1978 Palmerston North