Michael Hill Jeweller
Encyclopedia
Michael Hill Jeweller is a successful specialty retailer of fine jewellery
in North America
and Oceania
.
Michael Hill Jeweller operates a retail jewellery chain of 242 stores in Australia
, New Zealand
, Canada
and United States
, with over 2,000 permanent employees.
The company's headquarters are in Brisbane, Australia.
and his wife, Christine, opened their first store in the New Zealand town of Whangarei
. A unique retail jewellery formula that included dramatically different store designs, a product range devoted exclusively to jewellery and almost saturation levels of high impact advertising elevated the company to national prominence. The company also received several international awards for window-dressing from renowned brands such as Bulova
, Olympic and Omega.
The company grew steadily, expanding to 10 stores by 1987, the same year it listed on the NZX. Also in this year, Michael Hill Jeweller expanded into Australia, opening four stores in four weeks.
In 2002, the company expanded into Canada, opening its first stores in Vancouver
. Michael Hill now has a presence in four Canadian provinces: British Columbia
, Alberta
, Manitoba
and Ontario
.
In September 2008, the company entered the United States market by acquiring 17 stores in Illinois
and Missouri
from Whitehall Jewelers.
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
.
Michael Hill Jeweller operates a retail jewellery chain of 242 stores in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with over 2,000 permanent employees.
The company's headquarters are in Brisbane, Australia.
History
The company started in 1979, when Michael HillMichael Hill (entrepreneur)
Sir Michael Hill, KNZM is a New Zealand jeweller, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded global jewellery retailer Michael Hill Jeweller in 1979 and continues to serve as its chairman...
and his wife, Christine, opened their first store in the New Zealand town of Whangarei
Whangarei
Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
. A unique retail jewellery formula that included dramatically different store designs, a product range devoted exclusively to jewellery and almost saturation levels of high impact advertising elevated the company to national prominence. The company also received several international awards for window-dressing from renowned brands such as Bulova
Bulova
Bulova is a corporation making luxury watches and clocks. It has its headquarters in Woodside, Queens, New York City.Bulova was founded and incorporated as the J. Bulova Company in 1875 by Joseph Bulova , an immigrant from Bohemia...
, Olympic and Omega.
The company grew steadily, expanding to 10 stores by 1987, the same year it listed on the NZX. Also in this year, Michael Hill Jeweller expanded into Australia, opening four stores in four weeks.
In 2002, the company expanded into Canada, opening its first stores in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Michael Hill now has a presence in four Canadian provinces: British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
In September 2008, the company entered the United States market by acquiring 17 stores in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
from Whitehall Jewelers.
Michael Hill Watches
In late 2006, following a five year trial, the company launched its own brand of watches under the Michael Hill name, phasing out all but the Citizen brand of watches by the middle of 2007. By mid 2008, only Michael Hill-brand watches were available in the company's stores.Timeline
- 1979: Michael Hill opens his first store in Whangarei, New Zealand
- 1981: Michael Hill begins manufacturing his own jewellery in house. Today, over 80 percent of Michael Hill diamond rings are created by Michael Hill craftsmen in one of the world’s largest jewellery manufacturing plants
- 1986: Michael Hill opens his seventh store in Manukau City, Auckland. This store goes on to become the most profitable in the group, employing over 20 full-time staff
- 1987: Michael Hill Jeweller lists on the NZX. Later in the same year, the company expands into Australia with the opening of two new stores in Chermside and Indooroopilly, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
- 2001: Michael Hill begins sponsorship of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition
- 2002: The first store in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
is opened in Burnaby, Canada
- 2004: The 100th store is opened in MirrabookaMirrabookaMirrabooka may refer to:*Mirrabooka, New South Wales*Mirrabooka, Western Australia...
, Western Australia. The ‘Evermore’ diamond collection is introduced.
- 2006: The Michael Hill Watch Collection is launched.
- 2007: Michael Hill sponsors the first of three New Zealand OpenNew Zealand OpenThe BMW New Zealand Open is the leading men's golf tournament in New Zealand. In 2011, it will be hosted by The Clearwater Resort in Christchurch from 1–4 December. The tournament is being promoted by New Zealand Golf...
Golf Competitions at his private golf course, The Hills.
- 2008: Michael Hill enters into the US market with the purchase of 17 stores in Missouri and Illinois. During the same year, Michael Hill is announced the Ernst & YoungErnst & YoungErnst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the Year in New Zealand
- 2009: The Michael Hill Charms Collection is launched.
- 2010: Michael Hill announces the closure of 8 stores in the United States as an attempt to scale back losses in the difficult economic environment. The remaining 9 stores are to be refurbished.
External links
- Michael Hill Jeweller
- Michael Hill Jeweller listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange