Australian hardware giant Bunnings Group is facing a new antitrust lawsuit from the owner of two stores in the Mitre 10 network. As reported by MLex—a global publication specialising in legal affairs—the Federal Court of Australia action was filed by Resolve Litigation on behalf of Woodman Beenleigh, which operates Mitre 10 stores in Beenleigh and Jimboomba, in Brisbane’s south.
Under new court rules, filings are not made public until after the first hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. However, David Woodman, owner of Woodman Beenleigh, recently appeared on television to criticise Bunnings’ expansion strategy. Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Woodman alleged that Bunnings had acquired land adjacent to one of his stores to build a warehouse, garden centre, timber yard, and a carpark with more than 370 spaces.
“We think it’ll affect our sales to the point where we’ll end up losing profits. And being a small family business, we can’t sustain that, so we’d probably end up shutting the store,” Woodman said. And while Woodman did not specify how Bunnings’ actions breach the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, a recent ABC Four Corners report examined how the retail giant entered into land contracts and exclusive distribution deals with tool manufacturers. It remains unclear whether these claims are directly linked to the current legal proceedings.
In response, Bunnings referred MLex to a prior statement issued to the ABC, confirming it had consulted with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding its plans for the new Jimboomba store. “The Jimboomba store aims to meet customer needs … bringing more choice and competition to the community, providing employment opportunities and community engagement — not to block competitors,” the company said.
Bunnings is owned by Wesfarmers, a Perth-based conglomerate listed on the ASX, with retail and industrial operations across Australia and New Zealand. Mitre 10, founded in 1959, operates as a cooperative, with individual store owners acting as members of the national group. In December 2024, the Australian government announced that the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, which had previously been voluntary, would become mandatory for grocery retailers. The update included provisions aimed at curbing land banking practices by supermarkets. However, the code does not currently apply to non-grocery retailers such as Bunnings.
Calls for deeper scrutiny of the hardware sector are growing.
Earlier this year, Professor Allan Fels, former chair of the ACCC, told the ABC that “there is a strong case for an inquiry into the hardware sector and Bunnings’ role in the industry.” Fels said the company’s exclusivity arrangements—similar to those previously used by supermarket chains in shopping centres—”look to be quite non-competitive and possibly illegal under competition law.”
As it stands, Bunnings claims a 17% share of the Australian retail hardwood market, though the ABC cites an IBISWorld report suggesting the figure could be closer to 33%, noting that Bunnings “is far and away the leading player in the hardware retailing space.”
- To learn more about the case, visit Wood Central’s special feature from May 2025.
