Kennards Hire
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| Formerly | W Kennard Industries W Kennard Agencies |
|---|---|
| Industry | Equipment rental |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Walter Kennard |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
Number of locations | 146 (2021) |
Area served | Australia New Zealand |
| Owner | Kennard family |
Number of employees | 1,500 (2017) |
| Website | www.kennards.com.au |
Kennards Hire is an Australian equipment hire company.
History
[edit]In 1948 Walter Kennard founded W Kennard Agencies in Bathurst selling equipment and machinery and becoming an agent for Caltex. Hillman, Humber and Lightburn, In 1951 the Kennard family moved to Sydney with W Kennard Agencies operating out of the garage of the family home in Mosman.[1]
Having diversified into the manufacture of roof racks, in 1954 the business was rebranded as W Kennard Industries with operations relocated to Dickson Avenue, Artarmon, then in 1960 to the Pacific Highway, Greenwich. In 1967 a second branch opened on Victoria Road, Rydalmere followed in 1969 by a third on Botany Road, Alexandria. In 1972 the Greenwich branch was relocated to Herbert Street, Artarmon.[1]
In 1973, Kennards diversified into the self storage sector with six self store garages built at the rear of the Moorebank hire store. Initially branded as Kennards Mini Storage it was renamed Easi-Stor in 1979.[1]
By 1990 Kennards had 14 branches in Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane. In 1991, Andy and Neville Kennard who had taken over the business from their father, decided to split the business, with Andy retaining the hire equipment business and Neville taking the self storage business.[1][2]
In 1992, Kennards Hire purchased eight stores from GKN.[3] In 1994 it purchased the remaining 10 GKN stores taking its total to 32.[4][5] Through a series of acquisitions and greenfield developments by 2000 Kennards Hire had a presence in all mainland states.[1]
In 2012, Kennards Hire entered the New Zealand market with the purchase of McEntee Hire.[6] As at 2021, there were 146 branches, 125 in Australia and 21 in New Zealand.[1]
Sponsorships
[edit]Since 2017, Kennards Hire has been the naming rights sponsor of Sydney FC.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Kennards Hire 75 Kennards Hire
- ^ Handing over should be a family concern Australian Financial Review 4 December 1995
- ^ A high flyer who mainly says yes Australian Financial Review 8 May 1992
- ^ Kennards takes up a higher profile Australian Financial Review 20 October 1994
- ^ Kennards buys GKN Canberra Times 24 October 1994 page 12
- ^ Kennards Hire a strong sound stable business after 10 years in New Zealand New Zealand Herald 14 November 2022
- ^ Sydney FC and Kennards Hire Agree Partnership Sydney FC 13 July 2017