Haywrights

Haywrights was a New Zealand department store chain that was founded in 1929 and eventually grew to be one of the largest department store chains in New Zealand.

History

The store opened on 13 December 1929 as Hay's. It was founded by businessman and philanthropist James Hay.

In 1968, the chain merged with Wright Stephenson (retail division) to form Hay's-Wright Stephenson, with the merger the chain expanded into the North Island. On 1 August 1970 Hay's-Wright Stephenson became Haywrights after confusion among customers about the name.

In January 1976 Haywrights purchased Milne & Choyce a department store chain based in Auckland, in an effort to expand further into the North Island. A total of 30–40 employees were laid off at the Mount Roskill Warehouse and at the Downtown Shopping Centre store Milne & Choyce stores.

The company was taken over by the Farmers Co-operative Association in 1980 and integrated into a chain of department stores with all stores from Farmers and Haywrights being rebranded to Farmers & Haywrights (commonly written as Farmers-Haywrights or Farmers Haywrights or Farmers/Haywrights). In 1982 Bunting & Co. acquired the company and sold 13 stores of Farmers & Haywrights stores to Farmers Trading Company (FTC) and a distribution centre in Christchurch for $12million along with this the other stores were closed. With this sale Farmers & Haywrights stores became part of FTC.

Stores

Date opened is when the store became a Hay's, Haywrights or Farmers & Haywrights, if known opening date as its previous incarnation will be stated.

Gallery

File:Mackay Street, Greymouth, 1979. CC678.jpg, alt=, Haywrights, Greymouth (Seen in the background)
File:HaywrightsGlenfield.jpg, Haywrights Glenfield Mall
File:Haysstlukes.jpg, Outside St. Lukes, late 1970s

References

{{Retailers in New Zealand
1929 establishments in New Zealand
1987 disestablishments in New Zealand
Department stores of New Zealand
Companies based in Christchurch
Defunct retail companies of New Zealand