EziBuy

Gillespie era

EziBuy was established in 1978 by brothers Peter and Gerard Gillespie, and their friend John Robinson in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The business began as a catalogue retailer selling womenswear and menswear. The first catalogue was a simple folded, A3 black and white page which was mailed to a list of local organisations in 1978.[7][8] The Gillespies were joined five years later by Matt Toynbee who they later acknowledged for his huge contribution to the company.[9]

In January 2002, EziBuy purchased Myer Direct from Coles Myer.[10]

In January 2006, the company opened a new distribution centre in Palmerston North.[5]

In 2007 Ezibuy purchased the womenswear retail chain Max Fashions. EziBuy won the Keith Norris Direct Marketing Organisation of the Year Award in 2012.[11][12]

Woolworths era

In August 2013, EziBuy was acquired by Woolworths Limited.[13][14]

At the time of sale, EziBuy was the largest fashion and homeware multi-channel retailer in Australasia. The business mailed over 23 million catalogues every year and processed more than 1.75 million orders annually.[15]

Alceon era

In June 2017, EziBuy was acquired by Alceon Group, a major shareholder of Australian womenswear retailer Noni B,[16] for an undisclosed sum.[17]

In October 2018, Alceon purchased New Zealand children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch for an undisclosed sum, allowing it to relaunch the brand through EziBuy.[18]

Noni B and Mosaic era

Noni B Limited purchased a 50.1 per cent stake in EziBuy from Alceon Group in a $1 peppercorn sale in 2019.[19] The sale was aimed at increasing the retailer's digital sales and giving it access to the New Zealand market.[20] Noni B Limited changed its name to Mosaic Brands in November 2019 and purchased the remaining 49.9 per cent stake for $11 million in October 2021.[21][22]

In August 2021, EziBuy announced a restructure after posting a $28.9 million loss for the year to June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]

In April 2023, Mosaic placed EziBuy into administration, with plans to restructure it.[24] With this the remaining stores were closed down and the retailer went online only.[25]

The brand entered liquidation in July 2023 with creditors owed more than $100 million.[26][27]