• WELSHPOOL 9358 5566 • MYAREE: 9330 2290 • JOONDALUP: 9300 0622 • OSBORNE PARK: 9444 6699 •

McLernon Group Corporate Information

The Mission

To be a market leader with a staff and customer focus. “Everything Business”

The Vision

The vision for McLernons is to be the number one retailer in providing Office Furniture, Shop Fixtures and Fittings, Shelving and Storage Systems and IT and Business Equipment.

Our aim is to be a “one stop shop’’ for all your business equipment needs across Australia.

Our core objectives are:

• Best Value for money
• Quality products
• Oustanding Service
• High level stock availability

McLernon Group Limited is a Group of companies made up of a retail company with four retail outlets, (MSD Retail Pty Ltd t/a McLernons Supply + Demand [Welshpool, Myaree, Joondalup and Osborne Park]), an import wholesale company ( MSD Wholesale Pty Ltd), a cabinet making factory (MSD Cabinets Pty Ltd), an auctioneering business (Portacorp Pty Ltd) and a share holding ( Via MSD National Pty Ltd) in a Hong Kong registered exporting agent (Kingfeng Export Corporation Limited) that owns an office furniture manufacturing company in China (Kingsen Office Furniture Co Ltd.).

The McLernon Group of Companies was founded by Peter and his son Allan McLernon in the year 2000. The Group started as a sole trader family business selling mainly used office furniture, shelving and shop fittings from premises in Welshpool, Perth, Western Australia. Stock was purchased locally from auctions and directly from businesses upgrading, moving or closing down. The intention was to become the largest dealer in second hand commercial goods in Western Australia and this aim was quickly achieved.

As clientele grew, demand for new products to compliment the available second hand stock expanded. Lines of new stock, purchased from local wholesalers were progressively added to the large stocks of second hand goods carried by the business. McLernons quickly began to take a profitable share of the new market away from its retail competitors.

The original store in Welshpool was doubled in size to cope with the increase in stocks and sales and in July 2004 additional premises were leased in O'Connor. Also in 2004 McLernons began to import new stock lines directly from China, Taiwan and the UAE. The strategy in China was to use a local agent to increase quality controls and liaise with local manufacturers. McLernons set up a strategic alliance with a PRC national partner based in Shenzhen in Southern China who owned a Hong Kong registered export agency, Kingfeng Export Corporation Limited.

The premises in O'Connor were used as a combined import warehouse and retail outlet. In October 2006 MSD Wholesale Pty Ltd was established to sell imported products to the retail stores and to begin making wholesale sales to outside retail businesses. Also in 2006 MSD Cabinets Pty Ltd was established to provide custom built furniture for our customers. This meant that McLernons could provide a more complete service to its office furniture customers and begin to do on site and fit out work. At this time McLernons supply up to 90% of its own product brands for its retail stores.

In 2005 McLernon's Supply + Demand Auction Division (Portacorp Pty Ltd) was established to give added benefit to clients wishing to dispose of assets. The Auction division is a fully licensed auction house capable of conducting all classes of auctions anywhere in Western Australia. The auction business also holds a contract to dispose of the West Australian Governments surplus IT equipment.

Also in 2005 an IT technical section was formed to buy, refurbish and on sell second hand IT equipment. New and refurbished IT and business equipment was now sold through McLernons retail stores. The combination of new and used office furniture, shelving and storage systems, shop fittings and IT and business equipment allows us to provide a one stop shop for most commercial business requirements.

Growth in Western Australia

In Jan 2006 a small office furniture business was purchased in Joondalup giving us three stores in strategic central, southern and northern suburban locations, increasing the viability of our marketing campaign and increasing volumes sold by our wholesale division. In September 2009 a new branch was opened at Osborne Park in strategic central metropolitan Perth to continue the expansion of our market share in Western Australia in each of the four product categories.

McLernons will also continue to grow its share of the office furniture and shelving wholesale market in Western Australia. In December 2007 the wholesale business was moved into a dedicated 4000 sq meter warehouse in O'Connor to allow for increased container traffic and future expansion. The southern retail branch was also moved from the joint O'Connor warehouse/retail outlet to dedicated retail premises at 100 Norma Road in Myaree.

International Growth

In March 2007 McLernons established MSD National Pty Ltd and it then purchased a 50% share in the agency business (Kingfeng Export Corporation Limited) and together with its Chinese partner began to export office furniture to Australia, the UK and USA.

In November 2007 a one third share of Kingfeng Export Corporation Limited was sold to Office Interiors Limited, a United Kingdom based retailer of new and used office furniture with four retail branches. Kingfeng Export Corporation Limited has incorporated a wholly owned PRC company to manufacture office furniture in Southern China in its own right. Office furniture from this company is exported through Kingfeng to Australia, the UK and other countries. Our Chinese partner also sells to the huge local Chinese market.

Growth in Australia

An overview of the new and used office furniture and shelving industry and used IT industry across Australia shows a fragmented retail industry with most businesses confined to one to three stores within each state. Very few are based in more than one state and many are family owned businesses struggling to compete with other medium sized importers who have the capacity to import stock. The way is open for a truly national office furniture commercial retail chain.

It is the intention of the company to establish a national franchise network through purchase, acquisition, amalgamation or establishment of new outlets in every state of Australia. McLernons will establish at least thirty stores across Australia in the next five years. These will be followed by wholesale and cabinet works in each state as required to service the network.

McLernons: Preferred Supplier of Business Furniture and Shelving to Local Government in Western Australia

McLernons is a preferred supplier of range of products and services to Local Government approved by The Western Australian Local Government Association: Inclusive of furniture and shelving supply, rental, disposal and auction services.

McLernons Memberships

McLernons is also a member of:

Fremantle Chamber of Commerce
WA Chamber of Commerce & Industry
American Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Italian Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Franchise Council of Australia
Auctioneers and Valuers Association of WA

Links to our Other Businesses

Go to visit Gloucester Park Car Market, to sell your car, motorbike, 4 wheel drive or campervan privately at Perth's only private car market.
http://www.perthcarfair.com.au/