Campbells celebrates 10 years

Campbells Home Hardware is celebrating its 10th birthday.

But the basis for Campbells Home Hardware started much earlier.

In the late 1970s, Dick Campbell combined with Eaton Building Materials to establish the Woy Woy branch of Eatons.

The company traded in Charlton St, now the site of McDonald's, with timber as its core business and a very small range of hardware.

In 1983, Dick Campbell decided to go it alone and with wife Diana as a fellow director, purchased the Eatons share of the business and established Campbell Building Materials.

Current managing director Mr Mark Campbell said the following years saw many changes and challenges in the building industry but Dick Campbell's foresight and adaptability to change allowed Campbells to gain and increase market share against strong competitors.

Mark Campbell took over running the store from his father in 1993, with the company relocating to Alma Ave in the same year.

Aligning the company with the John Danks Group (Home Hardware) was another innovation in the early 1990s which allowed the company greater buying power and scope, particularly in its growing hardware division.

In 1995, the company relocated again, this time to the present site at Blackwall Rd, Woy Woy.

Although timber was still Campbells' core business, the larger premises at Blackwall Rd provided the company with the opportunity to introduce thousands of new lines and expand its existing stock in the hardware and paint divisions.

The year 2000 created another chapter in Campbells' history with the acquisition of the Mackies yard in Rawson Rd, Woy Woy.

This yard is used as a storage facility for Campbells' bulk timber and sheet products and also acts as its goods inwards department.

Mark Campbell said Campbells' growth can be attributed to the visions of the Campbell family and the company's management and staff who have worked hard to ensure its customers get value for money, quality products at competitive prices and good service.

"The introduction of new products with relevant literature and training is high on the agenda."

Mr Campbell said January next year would herald the announcement of a major refurbishment to the store, with completion expected in early April.

Press release, October 27 Mark Campbell