Do we like Bunnings?
Home improvement and hardware retailer with 300+ stores in Australia and New Zealand, based in Melbourne.
Our score: 6 out of 10. A well-liked, community-minded retailer, but it was found to have breached privacy law over facial recognition. It's also in court over alleged misuse of market power. We'd back it, with some reservations.
Bunnings has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994 and is its biggest earner. In the year to June 2026 it made $20.4bn in revenue and $2.46bn in earnings. Mike Schneider has run it since 2016 and retires in February. Rachael McVitty takes over.
The big drama was facial recognition. In 2024 the Privacy Commissioner found Bunnings had breached the privacy of likely hundreds of thousands of people. Bunnings fought it. In 2026 the Administrative Review Tribunal agreed it was allowed to collect the data without consent. The tribunal still upheld the findings on notice, compliance systems and privacy policy.
Now a small-business David-and-Goliath fight. A Mitre 10 franchisee is suing in the Federal Court, alleging Bunnings misused its market power by planning a store next door in Jimboomba. In August the judge protected him from Bunnings' legal costs. Bunnings says the store will bring more choice and local jobs. The case hasn't been decided.
On the plus side, the sausage sizzles are real. Bunnings' 2024 report says it facilitated nearly 80,000 community activities and $61.1m in community contributions. It also reports 100% renewable electricity across its stores. That's Bunnings' own reporting, so we take it with a pinch of salt.
We'd give it a solid 6. It's a well-run, trusted-looking retailer doing visible good locally. The privacy findings and the market-power case keep it from scoring higher.