Michael Hill International Ltd. is a speciality retailer of jewellery in North America and Oceania. As at 30 June 2018, it operates 312 stores in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Group employs approximately 2,600 permanent employees. The company's headquarters are in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Australia.
There are 55 Michael Hill stores in New Zealand, including 17 in Auckland.
History
The company started in 1979, when
Michael Hill and his wife, Christine, opened their first store in the New Zealand town of
Whangarei. A unique retail jewellery formula that included dramatically different store designs, a product range devoted exclusively to jewellery and almost saturation levels of high impact advertising elevated the company to national prominence.
The company also received several international awards for window-dressing from renowned brands such as
Bulova
Bulova is an American timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 and has been owned by Japanese multinational conglomerate Citizen Watch Co. since 2008. The company makes watches, clocks and accessories, and it is based in New York ...
, Olympic and
Omega
Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...
.
The company grew steadily, expanding to 10 stores by 1987, the same year it listed on the
NZX
New Zealand's Exchange (), known commonly as the NZX, is the national stock exchange for New Zealand and a publicly owned company. NZX is the parent company of Smartshares, and Wealth Technologies.
On 30 August 2020, the NZX had a total of ...
. Also in this year, Michael Hill Jeweller expanded into Australia, opening four stores in four weeks.
In 2000, Michael Hill Jeweller had 40 stores in New Zealand, including 12 in Auckland.
In 2002, the company expanded into Canada, opening its first stores in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia.
[ Michael Hill now has a presence in five Canadian provinces: ]British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Alberta, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
, Manitoba and Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. In September 2008, the company entered the United States market by acquiring 17 stores in Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
and Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
from Whitehall Jewelers.[ By mid-2013 over 60% of overall sales were from Australia, only 20% from New Zealand, with the rest from North America.
Emma Hill, the daughter of Michael Hill, succeeded him as chairperson after the November 2015 annual general meeting.
In April 2018 they closed the 9 remaining stores in the USA.
]
Michael Hill watches
In late 2006, following a five-year trial, the company launched its own brand of watches under the Michael Hill name, phasing out all but the Citizen brand of watches by the middle of 2007. By mid-2008, only Michael Hill-brand watches were available in the company's stores.
Timeline
* 1979: Michael Hill opens his first store in Whangarei, New Zealand
* 1981: Michael Hill began manufacturing his own jewellery in house.
* 2006: The Michael Hill Watch Collection was launched.[
* 2009: The Michael Hill Charms Collection was launched.
* 2010: Michael Hill announced the closure of 8 stores in the United States.
* The company announced it was in a $40m NZD dispute with the ]Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuati ...
.
* 2013: Michael Hill announced a new global brand, including bridal products and other jewellery which was more feminine.
* 2014: Sales in Australia were described as "lacklustre" due to Australian economic performance. The company settled its dispute with the Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuati ...
.
* 2015: The company opened a store in New York City in April 2015. Australian sales improve after poor performance in that market during 2013–2014. Sir Michael Hill moved to a new role of Founder/President, as his daughter Emma became Chairman.
References
External links
Michael Hill Jeweller
Michael Hill Jeweller
listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange
New Zealand's Exchange (), known commonly as the NZX, is the national stock exchange for New Zealand and a publicly owned company. NZX is the parent company of Smartshares, and Wealth Technologies.
On 30 August 2020, the NZX had a total of 1 ...
{{Retailers in New Zealand
Jewellery retailers of New Zealand
Jewellery retailers of Australia
Jewellery retailers of Canada
Companies listed on the New Zealand Exchange
New Zealand companies established in 1979
Retail companies established in 1979
Companies based in Brisbane