🎥 Over 60% of tradies say they’ve used YouTube to learn a new skill or technique 🚶♂️ The average tradie walks more in a day than an office worker does in a week 🔧 82% of tradies buy tools based on mate recommendations 🍽 Nearly half of tradies say they’ve eaten smoko with tools as a spoon 📏 The most lost item on-site? Tape measures 🔒 44% of tradies say tool theft has affected them in the past 5 years ⚡ Electricians spend more annually on tools than any other trade 🧰 The average ute holds $38K worth of tools 🐶 11% of tradies bring their dog to work weekly 🚿 Plumbers and sparkies are the top trades for starting their own business 🛍️ Friday is the most popular day for tradies to buy gear and tools 🛠️ Tradies spend on average 12+ hrs/month researching tools 🧾 64% of tradies say quoting is their top admin pain 🚗 The top excuse tradies give for being late? “Traffic” - even on Sunday jobs 📅 Fridays are the most common day for job quotes to be submitted 🇦🇺 Australia has over 1.1 million tradies - nearly 1 in 10 working Aussies 🛒 1 in 4 tradies now prefers to buy tools online instead of in-store 📦 Over 60% of tradies are self-employed or run their own business ☕️ Tradies are 2nd biggest early coffee buyers in Aus after nurses 🚽 Tradies rank site portaloos as the #1 worst part of the job 👷 Thousands of tradies use Tradiespace 💰 The average Aussie tradie spends over $14,000 per year on tools, workwear and gear 📱 1 in 3 tradies has used a level app on their phone, and still didn’t trust it 🥶 Tradies are the second-highest consumers of iced coffee in Australia, right after long-haul truck drivers ⏰ 6:30am is the most common start time for Aussie tradies
From July 1, Blackwoods and Workwear Group, including Hard Yakka and KingGee, will join the Bunnings Group as part of a Wesfarmers restructure, with customers promised more choice, better product availability and improved access to workwear, safety gear and industrial supplies.
If it feels like Bunnings is slowly taking over the tradie world, you’re not imagining it.
From 1 July, Wesfarmers is officially moving Blackwoods and Workwear Group into the Bunnings business, bringing some of Australia’s biggest names in workwear, safety gear and industrial supplies under the one massive roof.
That means brands like Hard Yakka, KingGee and Blackwoods will all sit alongside Bunnings creating one of the biggest trades workwear supply networks in the country.
Before anyone starts worrying, the brands aren’t disappearing. Blackwoods and Workwear Group will continue operating as standalone businesses, with Blackwoods still servicing its large commercial customers. But behind the scenes they’ll now be part of the Bunnings Group.
For tradies, the biggest promise from Bunnings is simple – more choice, better stock availability and easier access to products.
Bunnings says combining Blackwoods’ massive distribution network with its own retail footprint will help improve the customer experience, while Wesfarmers believes the move will help grow its small and medium trades business customer base.
It’s a significant move when you consider Blackwoods has been supplying Australian industry since 1878, with more than 45 branches nationwide and Hard Yakka and KingGee have been staples on jobsites for generations.
The announcement also comes as Bunnings continues to dominate Australia’s retail landscape, recently being named the country’s most ‘trusted brand’ for the 10th straight quarter.
Whether this eventually means more trade-only products on shelves, sharper pricing or faster access to gear remains to be seen. But one thing is clear – Bunnings isn’t slowing down anytime soon and it’s making a serious play to become the go-to destination for everything a tradie needs, from tools and timber through to PPE and workwear.
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