Farmer Group Claims Bunnings Owns 70 Percent of the Garden Plant Market

Greenlife Industry Australia said the hardware company had a monopoly over the market, a claim refuted by Bunnings management.

Shoppers queue outside a Bunnings warehouse in Perth, Australia, on March 28, 2020. Paul Kane/Getty Images

A farmer group has claimed that seven in 10 house and garden plants in Australia are sold by houseware retail giant Bunnings, raising concerns about the impact of monopoly on farmers.

During a Senate hearing on March 12, Joanna Cave, the CEO of Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA), a peak body representing thousands of farmers growing greenlife products such as seeds, plants, shrubs, and trees, said their industry was dominated by “big box retailers,” with Bunnings accounting for 70 percent of the market.