Hardware giants face-off in $40 million centre expansion

CRANBOURNE Home will officially open a $40 million expansion on Saturday 10 October.
Hardware retailer Masters Home Improvement anchors the project at the Springhill Drive-Thompsons Road precinct, joining Bunnings, JB Hi-Fi Home, Officeworks, Spotlight and The Good Guys.
It’s the first time anywhere in Australia that Bunnings and Masters will trade within the same centre. Masters will create 130 jobs.
Aventus Property CEO Darren Holland said the two could co-exist.
“Two homewares giants competing will make renovating in this area more affordable,” he said.
The expansion takes the Aventus Property-owned centre to more than 54,000 square metres, 38 showrooms and 1668 car spaces.
The growth is set to continue, with another 7000 square metres of large-format retail showrooms and a freestanding pad site to be added and opened next year.
Mr Holland said the project was the culmination of five years of planning.
The company bought Cranbourne Home in 2004 and has doubled its size over the past 10 years.
It started as a joint venture between local residents and long-term friends John Dunscombe and Brett Blundy.
Mr Blundy is a significant investor in Aventus Property and global retailers including Lovisa, Bras and Things, Dusk and Adairs.
He grew up on a farm in Clyde and opened his first retail store in Pakenham in 1980. Disco Duck was to become music chain Sanity.
“Ten years ago almost to the day, I was working for another company in Sydney when I got a call from Brett Blundy,” Mr Holland said.
“He told me he was thinking of buying a homemaker centre at Cranbourne and wanted my advice.
“I met with him, which was in effect a job interview.
“The next day I was working for him and a month later he purchased the Cranbourne Homemaker Centre.”