Father’s Day a breeze at Whitworths

by Media Services on 21 Aug 2007 Father’s Day is fast approaching and all over the country Dads are dropping hints, leaving DIY store catalogues prominently displayed on the kitchen bench and checking out new products online. Whitworths Marine and Leisure have a huge range of products for both power and sail boats; their range even includes fishing and camping gear, clothing, books and tools. Their website is bloke heaven and you can even encourage your loved ones to buy you a gift certificate online.

Whitworth's Marketing Manager Brendan Strahan said that gift certificates had proved a very popular choice for the upcoming Father’s Day, Sunday 2nd September.

‘The best present is the Whitworth's gift certificate because they can come into the shop and choose whatever they like.’

The company has 14 supermarket style stores nationwide and a popular mail order service. There are stores in every State except for Tasmania with five stores in NSW and Queensland, two in WA, and one in Victoria and SA. It is impressive growth for a company that started from a friendship between two yacht racers.

It all started in Brisbane in 1960 when Craig Whitworth and Bob Miller decided to team up in yacht racing. Craig was the Queensland Gwen 12 class champion and sail-maker Bob Miller was working on some radical new 18-footer skiff designs. The following year Bob recruited Craig as his forward hand on his super lightweight three man craft named Venom.

Traditional 18-footer enthusiasts ridiculed Venom’s design and there were loud guffaws all round. The laughter quickly faded when they proceeded to sweep all before them winning the world championship in 1961 with six straight wins. This was the beginning of the modern 18-footers that are now raced on Sydney Harbour.

In 1962 Bob was Craig’s forward hand in the Flying Dutchman class where they won both the Australian and Inter-dominion championships on Sydney Harbour. Their sailing was going so well that Craig decided to leave his position as a Sales Representative and join Bob in a sail making business. With little more than their sailing reputations they relocated to Sydney to begin business as Miller & Whitworth Pty Limited.

An old disused dance floor was found upstairs at 52A Spit Road, Spit Junction and although the rent of five pounds; five shillings per month ($10.50) was higher than their allocated budget, it was decided to throw caution to the wind and enter into a four year lease.

Fortunately the sail-making prospered and in 1964 Miller and Whitworth joined with Hawker de Havilland, the aviation company, to design, produce and market a range of aluminium yacht spars which were starting to replace the traditional wooden spars. A pegboard wall was erected at the top of the stairs at the entrance of the sail loft to provide a few basic L W Riley shackles and blocks for the sail customers.

By 1968 it was clear that Spit Road premises could no longer cope with the business volume and land was purchased at Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale, adjacent to the mushrooming Warringah Mall shopping complex. In 1969 the then President of the Australian Yachting Federation, Mr E J Merrington, officially opened the new purpose built premises comprising sail loft, spar and boat building factory, yacht design office and administration.

Under the direction of Bob Miller the yacht design office flourished and John Bertrand, the successful America’s Cup skipper was part of the talented design team that worked for the company at that time. Successes included Sydney to Hobart race winner Ceil III, two of the three yachts in the Australian 1973 Admiral’s Cup team; Gingko and Apollo II; Half Ton Cup Pan Pacific champion, Plum Crazy and America’s Cup challenger, Southern Cross.

Despite the business growth, yacht racing continued and Craig won four more Australian Flying Dutchman class championships, an Australian Tempest class championship and numerous state championships. 1967 saw the prestigious Australian Yachtsmen of the Year trophy awarded jointly to Craig and Bob.

In 1968 Craig sailed the company designed Contender class dinghy to win the IYRU single-handed trials in Medemblik, Holland. This resulted in the Contender being named the new International Yacht Racing Union Single Handed class.

Ceil III, a 40 footer designed by the company with Craig as sailing master, won the 1973 Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race and topped the point score in the Southern Cross Cup international ocean racing series.

In 1974 Bob moved to London to be closer to the international yacht design scene. Craig continued with the operation at Old Pittwater Road until 1979 at which time the manufacturing activities were divested, the real estate sold and the decision made to concentrate solely on the retailing of marine accessories. The company name was changed to Whitworth’s Nautical World and the first supermarket style store opened in Brookvale, adjacent to Warringah Mall.

The first accessory catalogue was 76 pages and promoted as part of the December 1976 Modern Boating magazine. Initially the catalogues were an annual edition but with acceptance became a biannual publication and then later three times a year to match the seasons: spring, summer and winter. The catalogue has increased to 172 pages and is now regarded as a complete fitting out guide for sail and power.

A new supermarket was opened in Brisbane in 1984, and there was further expansion in 1989 when Whitworths brought their main Sydney competitor, Boat Supplies Pty Ltd, which had stores in Crows Nest and Drummoyne.

The 1990’s proved to be a period of rapid expansion with the company now trading as Whitworth's Marine & Leisure and the purchase of Caringbah Boating in 1994, the opening of the Southport store in 1995 and a Mona Vale store in 1997. A new store opened in Cairns in 1999, Mooloolaba and Perth in 2000.

The Quin's Marine Chandlery business in Port Adelaide was purchased in 2003 and converted to another Whitworth’s Marine and Leisure supermarket. Another new store opened in Albion in 2005 and in Leederville WA in 2005.

Whitworth’s now has fourteen stores nationally, a thriving mail order business, and a burgeoning internet presence. The company has grown into the largest and most successful marine accessory chain in Australia which employs over 120 staff.

Brendan Strahan said that the company’s goals are the same now as they were when they opened their first supermarket in 1979: to provide unparalleled customer service and offer the largest range of product at the lowest prices. It’s become the ideal place to shop for Father’s Day.

Visit Whitworth's website for Contact details to find a store nearest you.
http://www.whitworths.com.au