HWR Group
{{Short description|New Zealand company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name = HWR Group
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| industry = Fuel distribution and retailing
Concrete
Transport
Contracting
Quarrying
Waste disposal
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| hq_location_city = Invercargill
| hq_location_country = New Zealand
| area_served = New Zealand
Victoria, Australia
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| website = {{URL|hwr.co.nz}}
{{URL|alliedpetroleum.co.nz}}
}}
H. W. Richardson Group (HWR Group) is a New Zealand company that provides fuel distribution and retailing through its Allied Petroleum brand in New Zealand and its Petrogas brand in Victoria, Australia. It also owns companies in the concrete, transport, contracting, aggregate quarrying, and waste disposal sectors, operating predominantly in the South Island.{{cite web |title=HW Richardson Group |url=https://www.hwr.co.nz |website=hwr.co.nz |publisher=HRW Group}}
HWR Group is co-owned by Shona Richardson, Jocelyn O'Donnell and Scott O'Donnell, members of the Richardson family who founded it. It is one of the largest family-owned businesses in New Zealand.{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Patrick |title='In business it's people, people, people' |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/in-business-its-people-people-people/EWLN7ASNJ3TIUPBZMEFPNSAJKI/ |newspaper=Hawke's Bay Today |publisher=New Zealand Media and Entertainment |date=23 May 2016}} The family regularly features in the New Zealand Rich List, being valued at $250 million in 2011,{{cite news |last1=Fensome |first1=Alex |title=Five with southern links on NBR rich list |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5357248/Five-with-southern-links-on-NBR-rich-list |newspaper=Southland Times |publisher=Stuff |date=29 July 2011}} $295 million in 2017,{{cite news |title=Newcomers add diversity to Rich List for 2017 |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/business/newcomers-add-diversity-rich-list-2017 |newspaper=Otago Daily Times |publisher=Allied Press |date=25 July 2017}} and $320 million in 2018.{{cite news |title=Fulton family tops Rich List in the South |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fulton-family-tops-rich-list-south |newspaper=Otago Daily Times |publisher=Allied Press |date=16 August 2018}}
The company's flagship brand, Allied, is used for fuel distribution, fuel retailing, transport, aggregate, concrete and waste disposal operations. It distributes 20% of New Zealand's fuel. It turns over $3 billion annually and employs 2700 staff.{{cite news |last1=Brettkelly |first1=Sharon |title=The new type of giving |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018819623/the-new-type-of-giving |publisher=Radio New Zealand |date=9 November 2021}}
History
=20th century=
HW Richardson was founded by Invercargill builder Robert Richardson in 1939.{{cite news |title=New chair for Rich Lister's company |url=https://www.nbr.co.nz/story/new-chair-rich-lister-s-company |agency=National Business Review |date=18 October 2019}} It began investing in the transport sector in 1939, and rapidly expanded under the leadership of Robertson's grandson into a $1 billion conglomerate.
In 1976, the company expanded into the concrete and fuel distribution sectors. In 1989, it began distributing fuel for Mobil in Southland. It 1993, it established Allied Petroleum as a joint venture with Mobil to distribute fuel to Canterbury farmers. Later that same year, it entered the aggregate sector through a joint venture in Fulton Hogan.
=21st century=
In 2004, HWR Group took full ownership of Allied Petroleum. In 2006, it purchased its first waste disposal business. In 2007, it established its property investment arm, HWR Property.
In the 2010s HWR Group founded Transport World.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hwr.co.nz/about-hwr|title=About HWR |access-date=13 January 2025 |work=HWR Group}}
In 2015, the company purchased transport companies in Hawke's Bay.{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Patrick |title=Sale of truck firms sets South Island links |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/sale-of-truck-firms-sets-south-island-links/N4IPTGSOWXJM4DMLSKCYVTOROQ/ |agency=Hawke's Bay Today |publisher=New Zealand Media and Entertainment |date=4 September 2015}} The following year, it purchased a 50% stake in its main Southland competitor Dynes Transport.{{cite news |last1=Woolf |first1=Amber-Leigh |title=Southern trucking giants to join forces |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/84839628/southern-trucking-giants-to-join-forces |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=30 September 2016}}
In 2016, HWR Group purchased a group of commercial properties in Central Invercargill,{{cite news |last1=Woolf |first1=Amber-Leigh |title=HWR property arm aims to freshen Invercargill CBD |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/business/77469690/hwr-property-arm-aims-to-freshen-invercargill-cbd |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=2 March 2016}} leading a strip club to relocate and an outdoor shop to close.{{cite news |last1=Woolf |first1=Amber-Leigh |title=Divaz strip club to relocate after HW Richardson Group buys property |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/77500503/divaz-strip-club-to-relocate-after-hw-richardson-group-buys-property |agency=Southland Times |publisher=Fairfax New Zealand |date=3 March 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Woolf |first1=Amber-Leigh |title=Invercargill sportswear store closing after four generations of retail |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/84980346/invercargill-sportswear-store-closing-after-four-generations-of-retail |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=5 October 2016}} HWR became a major property owner in the area.{{cite news |last1=Savory |first1=Logan |title=Property owner: Office space demand 'shrinks', inner-city living increases |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/126012136/property-owner-office-space-demand-shrinks-innercity-living-increases |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=11 August 2021}} It sold and leased some of this land in 2020.{{cite news |last1=Harding |first1=Evan |title=More commercial buildings going up in Invercargill |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123751806/more-commercial-buildings-going-up-in-invercargill |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=18 December 2020}}
In November 2019, First Union members at Allied Petroleum went on strike. The union accused the company of discouraging union membership and refusing to negotiate collective agreements.{{cite news |last1=Stock |first1=Rob |title=Petrol disruption threatened as fuel tanker drivers ready for strike |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/117711308/petrol-disruption-threatened-as-fuel-tanker-drivers-ready-for-strike |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=26 November 2019}}
In July 2021, the announcement of the likely closure of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter was expected to have a major impact on the business. The smelter had been a major client.{{cite news |last1=Harding |first1=Evan |title=Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt 'absolutely shattered' by news of Tiwai Aluminium Smelter closure |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122080475/invercargill-mayor-tim-shadbolt-absolutely-shattered-by-news-of-tiwai-aluminium-smelter-closure |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=9 July 2020}}
In 2021, construction began on a nine-storey HWR Group tower in Invercargill,{{cite news |last1=Savory |first1=Logan |title=Crane tower goes up as work on HWR Tower office building ramps up |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/126015237/crane-tower-goes-up-as-work-on-hwr-tower-office-building-ramps-up |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=9 August 2021}} with the company using the top four floors to house an office with 100 staff.{{cite news |last1=Searle |first1=Jamie |title=Work soon to begin on HWR's nine-floor office tower in Invercargill |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124320555/work-soon-to-begin-on-hwrs-ninestorey-office-tower-in-invercargill |agency=Southland Times |publisher=stuff.co.nz |date=25 February 2021}}
Fuel
=Allied Petroleum=
Allied Petroleum is one of New Zealand's largest fuel distributors through its partnership with ExxonMobil. It distributes Mobil fuel to its own retail outlets, Mobil-branded sites, and various clients, including public transport providers such as KiwiRail and Ritchies Transport. It took over distributors in the West Coast, Otago and Southland in 2003, and the lower North Island in 2004. It took over other fuel distributors in Northland in 2010 and Waikato and Bay of Plenty in 2012.
Allied Petroleum is one of four smaller fuel retailers (along with Waitomo Group, GAS and Gull) that compete with the large retailers – Z Energy, BP and ExxonMobil.{{cite news |title=Z Energy shares fall after ComCom report on fuel pricing |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/z-energy-shares-fall-after-comcom-report-on-fuel-pricing/Y2YKDT5VG4ZMDPWKXYLZB4YHWM/ |newspaper=New Zealand Herald |publisher=New Zealand Media and Entertainment |date=20 August 2019}} Allied provides its franchisee outlets with self-service systems and a regular supply of fuel with limited price fluctuations.{{cite news |last1=Stretch |first1=Liam |title=Small-town garages put 'service' in service station, amid NZ petrol price frenzy |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/107875892/smalltown-garages-put-the-service-in-service-station-amid-nz-fuel-frenzy |newspaper=stuff.co.nz |date=17 October 2018}} This allows many sites in remote, otherwise unprofitable locations to operate at low cost with few or no staff.{{cite news |last1=Iles |first1=Julie |title=The shrinking jobs of service station attendants |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/98699323/chart-the-shrinking-jobs-of-service-station-attendants |newspaper=stuff.co.nz |date=10 November 2017}} It has 69 outlets in New Zealand, including 33 full-scale service stations.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Outlets are concentrated in the South Island. It has only one in Auckland.{{cite web |title=Allied Petroleum |url=https://alliedpetroleum.co.nz |website=alliedpetroleum.co.nz |publisher=Allied Petroleum}} Its Pongaroa outlet, opened in 2017, is run by local residents as a joint venture between Allied Petroleum and Tararua District Council.{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Paul |title=July storm pushes back Pongaroa petrol pump |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/95332487/july-storm-pushes-back-pongaroa-petrol-pump |newspaper=stuff.co.nz |date=3 August 2017}}
A Douglas DC-3, painted in Allied Petroleum branding, was suspended next to State Highway 1 at the site of a former outlet in Mangaweka.{{cite news |last1=Browne |first1=Alistair |title=Central North Island roadside attraction still flying high |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/100489400/central-north-island-roadside-attraction-still-flying-high |newspaper=stuff.co.nz |publisher=Nine Entertainment |date=11 January 2018}} It was partially dismantled and moved away for maintenance in May 2021.{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Paul |title=Future of Mangaweka's iconic plane up in the air |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300301138/future-of-mangawekas-iconic-plane-up-in-the-air |newspaper=stuff.co.nz |date=6 May 2021}}
Racing driver Greg Murphy is the company's brand ambassador.
=Petrogas=
Petrogas traces its origins to the 1960s, and took its current form in 1985 through the merger of Metro Vac and East Oil. It became part of HWR Group in 2013.{{cite web |title=PetroGas |url=https://petrogas.com.au |website=petrogas.com.au |publisher=HRW Group}} It has 12 outlets, including four in Melbourne, one in Ballarat, two in northern Victoria, and five in north-western Victoria. As of 2021, Petrogas is the naming rights sponsor of Ballarat's Burrumbeet Cup horse race.{{cite news |last1=Brehaut |first1=David |title=Ballarat trainers out to keep grip on Burrumbeet Cup |url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/7566309/ballarat-trainers-out-to-keep-grip-on-burrumbeet-cup/ |newspaper=Courier Mail |publisher=Australian Community Media |date=30 December 2021}}
Other companies
HWR owns a range of trucking companies, including Allied Bulk, Andrews Transport, Cromwell Bulk Distribution, Farmers Transport, Freight Haulage, Herberts Transport, Hokonui Rural Transport, Kapuka Heenans Transport, Purdue Bros, Ryal Bush Transport, Ryal Bush Transport Ashburton, Southern Transport, Te Anau Haulage, Transport Services, Upper Clutha Transport, Dynes Transport Tapanui Limited and McLaren Ranfurly Transport. Most of these companies exclusively serve South Island farms and rural businesses.
The group includes concrete brands Allied Concrete and Ashby's Ready Mixed, lower South Island contractors SouthDrill and SouthRoads, and quarry companies Allied Materials, Fernhill Limeworks, Rangitikei Aggregates and Southern Aggregates. It also includes several waste disposal companies, like Allied Bins, Bond Contracts and Southern Transport Waste.