On Friday, December 8th, Australian timber and building materials supplier, Bowens, acquired 149-169 Barries Road, Melton West, the site of the old Bunnings Warehouse. Bowens will move from their existing site on Reserve Road, Melton to the new 30,040 sqm site mid-2024.

Jonathon McCormack, Director at Gorman Allard Shelton Commercial Property Firm as transaction manager on behalf of Bowens, said ‘This site’s biggest advocate is its exposure to the freeway and its accessibility to the offramp. It’s located opposite the Woodgrove Shopping Centre and adjoining KFC, McDonald’s and Melton community services, in a key subregional area that sees approximately 46,000 vehicles pass through daily.

“The added improvements to this property including an undercover outdoor area and parking for 289 cars, means it only requires minor changes for Bowens to start trading.”

The fourth-generation, family-owned business, remains in a key position to further increase their product offering into Melbourne’s Western suburbs with this super-store. The new Bowens store is predicted to open in July and will be instrumental in servicing small to medium-sized builders and trades in the area.

Bowens Director and Chief Investment Officer, Andy Bowen, said“We are excited to expand our existing offer in Melton. The new ready-made facility will allow us to carry a huge range of building materials on site, as well as provide same day deliveries for all customers, particularly local builders.”

The store is located within one of Australia’s fastest growing urban corridors and is close to all major local amenities with easy access off the freeway and an abundance of parking. Positioned 40km’s northwest of the Melbourne CBD, the Melton site will provide an additional 15 jobs to the area including yard staff, operations, drivers, counter sales and internal sales staff.

Bowens Melton store manager and long-term employee, Belinda Jackson, said “Our new Melton store will be able to service areas from Melton to Ballart, Gisborne to Diggers Rest, Tarneit and surrounding areas, giving builders and trades from regional areas easy access to materials. This store will have a large fleet of vehicles and a wider range of stock, complemented by some of the most experienced staff in the industry.

“The 10,000m2 undercover Timber and Hardware facility will be designed to service the builder, the handyman and the retail customer in loading their materials quickly and easily so they can get on with the

The Melton store will integrate existing and new employees, with many team members living in and around the Melton area.

“Our Melton team is looking forward to moving across to the new space and welcoming the community from surrounding areas,” Jackson added.

Bowens continues to find new ways to make the building process quicker and easier for builders and trades, not only by extending their reach towards regional areas but also by including initiatives such as Uber 90- minute deliveries and a range of over 50,000 products available online.