New Horizons
Buy Online In-store Click & Collect Fast Delivery Australia Wide

New Horizons

15 February 2018 New Horizons

You may have noticed last year that ovesco went through a key change in ownership and was acquired by the Bulbeck Group. We wanted to take some time to introduce you to Bulbeck, what that means for us at ovesco and you as a customer.

The history of Bulbeck is a long one, they started out in 1949 as a supplier of consumables to heavy industry in Newcastle.  Through the 1950s - 1980’s they branched out into Marine products, Paint and industrial equipment.  As the industrial face of Newcastle changed, so did Bulbeck.

In the 90’s Bulbeck started what are now their two core businesses: Fire equipment wholesale distribution, and Environmental Services.   Bulbeck is privately owned and has 34 shareholders.   

ovesco was acquired by Bulbeck in January 2015. The shareholders of the Bulbeck Group were looking for stable and growing dividends for their investment in the group and “bolt-on” acquisitions were a key strategic initiative. 

ovesco had a history of reliable and growing financial returns and was large enough to be a stand-alone division of the group alongside Fire and Enviro with little to no impact on the existing markets of the group.  

On top of that, Bulbeck Marine products business could be combined with ovesco which might provide Marine products further growth opportunities.  Like other Bulbeck businesses ovesco is primarily a wholesale/retail distributor of imported equipment that cannot be feasibly manufactured in Australia.  It services a market niche based on reliable and consistent service to other medium and small businesses that can utilise the economies of scale generated by ovesco through volume purchases.  

The business has a management structure and team that can effectively run the business independently.  The culture of ovesco is also a good fit in that it is similar to Bulbeck’s but on a smaller scale.  

In the short-term the purchase won’t affect the day to day business of ovesco and its customers, both companies have a stable foundation.  The goals for the business haven’t changed, that is to continue to grow and develop through offering the same high-quality products and customer service that it has always provided.

Steven Ford – Bulbeck CEO says “Looking towards the future, we would like ovesco to expand into new markets with an emphasis on driving web sales.  Ultimately for Bulbeck, we would like to have a more ovesco style of businesses in other parts of Australia.”

Find more information on Bulbeck Enviro on their websites

If you are interested in the benefits of custom pricing, assistance with manufacturing projects (large or small) register your business at Open for Business on our website.

Return to Blog

Call: 1300 151 268 Send An Enquiry