- Homeart
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Homeart 
Type Private Industry Retail Founded Melbourne, Australia (1970) Founder(s) Aart van Roest and Sara Maria Austin (formerly van Roest) Headquarters Bella Vista, Australia,
AustraliaNumber of locations 140 Area served Australia Key people Amy van Roest (Director) Products Homewares, Manchester, Giftware, Small Electrical, Furniture, Kitchenware Owner(s) Amy van Roest Employees 850 Parent Copperart Holdings Pty Limited Website www.homeart.com.au Homeart is a national chain of retail stores with outlets in every state in Australia selling mostly homewares, giftware and electrical products.
Contents
History
The origins of the company can be traced back to a company known as ARO gates in Ferntree gully in the eastern Suburbs of Melbourne and the iconic Croydon Stock yards (flea market) in 1970. On 1 August 1979, Mr Aart van Roest's first store to carry the name of Copperart was located in Canterbury Road, Blackburn, Victoria. followed shortly by its 6 other stores that were also in operation at that time.
Initially, Aro gates sold gates made of western red cedar as the main line, and his then wife Sara operated the retail side of the business, selling copper and brass wares from around the world, along with traditional Dutch ornaments, Grandfather clocks and wall clocks. In 1976 the company was split up into separate identities, with a trading name still to be determined. Later that year the name Copperart was devised by Aart and Sara. There is an interesting story of how the company gained its name Copperart (and Its later name of Homeart) Basically it is the material the products were made from (Copper) and the name of the original founder Aart Hence the coming together of the words Copper and Aart (Copperart). This was also used in the original company of ARO gates "A" from Aart and "Ro" from Roest and the product being made (gates), thus becoming known as ARO gates.
Copperart sold mostly copper and brass products, but the company expanded in the 1980s to include a broader range of homewares.
1990s: franchising
During the 1980s and 90s, Copperart used a franchising strategy to significantly grow the business, adding over 50 stores to the network. Gradually, Copperart bought back all franchises and today all stores are company owned.
2001: rebranding
Previous Homeart logo used from 2001 to 2010
By the year 2000 the product range in the Copperart stores had changed dramatically and bore little resemblance to original concept and the once famous copper and brass had virtually disappeared.[1] In late 2001, Copperart changed its trading name to Homeart. It was believed that the "Copperart" name implied only a small range of copper and copper related products (which may have stigmatised the store), when in fact the stores sold a wide range of products such as manchester, clocks (including grandfather clocks), electrical, homewares, dolls, furniture, sports & leisure and outdoor.[2]
2007: a time of sadness
On 8 July 2007, company founder Mr Aart Van Roest died, leaving sole ownership to Mrs. Amy Van Roest.
2008: a different approach
In 2008, Homeart tried something new by offering a VIP Club card for a one year limited period. The card gave holders the following: Entitlements:
- 5% off Electrical & Electronic product available in store.
- 10% off all other products available in store.
- Discount available at all Homeart stores throughout Australia
Conditions:
- Discount is not valid on items already discounted by 50% or more off the label price.
- Discount is not available on layby sales.
- Card must be presented at point of purchase to receive your discount.
- Only Homeart VIP Club members are entitled to the privileges of the VIP Club.
- Homeart reserves the right to change the terms and conditions at anytime without notice.
- Check Homeart website for further details.
After 2008, the card was discontinued.
2009: still going strong
In 2009, the company happily celebrated its 30th year of trade with a '30th Birthday Sale', supported by a catalogue. Also, the much loved porcelain and material dolls that had become a staple in all Homeart stores were deleted and no longer carried.
Sara Austin, the former wife of Aart Van Roest and cofounder of the original companies, died on 19 October 2009.
2010: logo update and changes
In 2010, Homeart saw many changes take effect. One being the appointment of a CEO, Peter Spring and the restructure of its Support Office. In mid 2010, Homeart updated its logo replacing the large roof with a smaller, more subtle one, giving it a more modern look. The font and colour were also changed to a more modern style and distinctive "Homeart" orange.
Warehousing & Distribution
As of 2010 Homearts warehousing and distribution has been serviced through Kagan Logistics (as a key member of the SILK Logistics Group) which supplies national warehousing to all Homeart stores. Kagan also provides a percentage of Homearts transport.
Advertising
Through its heavy use of television and radio advertising, Copperart became a very well known Australian company. Copperart used Bruce Mansfield, John Cox and the well-known Pete Smith in television commercials during the 1990s. Pete Smith is probably best remembered for his voiceovers on Sale of the Century. However, into the 2000s these mediums were not utilized, and large catalogue distributions were the companies choice. In 2009, Homeart returned to television with the use of an advertisement toward the end of the year to promote its goods for the Christmas season. For the 2010 financial year, an aggressive marketing campaign was put together consisting of various themed sales, television commercials and catalogue drops aided by the consulting of Australian marketing heavyweight Mark Cario and his agency The Marketing Revolution.
Present day
Homeart continues to trade in Australia, employing over 850 people in approximately 140 stores across the country. According to the companies website, the stores are "brimming with inspirational gift ideas, affordable everyday essentials and innovative home decorating products".[3]
Pop culture
Copperart was featured several times in the early 1990s on the sketch comedy show Fast Forward. The sketches were send ups of Copperart's television commercials with comedian Steve Vizard acting as Pete Smith, the television announcer Copperart used for its commercials.
References
External links
Categories:- Retail companies of Australia
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