BUNNINGS is understood to be narrowing its options in the search for a new warehouse site in Armadale, in Perth’s south-east metropolitan area.
Bunnings managing director Joe Boros confirmed that the hardware group had a keen interest in sourcing a site in Armadale.
“We are actively looking. We believe that a Bunnings warehouse would work in the area but it’s a difficult area
to find a site,” Mr Boros
told WA Business News.
He said one of the factors that had stopped Bunnings from buying an Armadale site, besides the lack of a suitable location, was the price of such land in Armadale, a leftover from the mid 1980s price hikes.
“About 15 years ago the prices in Armadale escalated be-yond their true value. The overhang is still there,” he said.
One location that has aroused speculation in the community is the site between the Armadale Senior High School and Metro Bricks along the South West Highway, just south of the Armadale centre.
However Mr Boros said that, as yet, no site had been decided on. He said Bunnings always kept its expansion plans quiet. One way of achieving this was to stay away from local real estate agents. Bunnings normally uses its own agents to seek out sites, Mr Bosos said.
“When people find out we are looking at a particular site the price goes through the roof. The minute an owner gets wind that we are sniffing around the price can double,” he said.
