History of the Guthrie Bowron Franchise

The Guthrie Bowron franchise was established in 1896 by Henry Guthrie who was later joined by George Bowron. In mid 1920s George Bowron started importing lacquer, varnish, lead and linseed oil, which were the base ingredients for paints during that period. In 1932, the retail franchise became an appointed agent for Dulux Paints as well as setting up a wall paper shop in Christchurch.

In 1963 the home decorating franchise became a public company and had 18 branches by 1969, with the focus on paint and wallpaper. This franchise was purchased in 1971 by ICI Ltd, the owner of the Dulux paint brand, and had 34 outlets by 1985. In 1971 the Guthrie Bowron franchise was purchased by a group of senior managers, who established the trend of franchising the stores, which led to a total growth of 57 stores.

In 2005, the home decorating franchise was sold to Waterman Holdings Limited and the team at the Group Office was responsible for supporting the network and developing the business for the benefit of the stakeholders. At present, Guthrie Bowron franchise is the leader in providing home decorating services in New Zealand, by focusing on custom-made curtains, tiles, paint, and wallpaper supplies.