Gemcell Australia

When Rovert opened their Rutherford lighting showroom the trade reacted with enthusiastic praise, calling it the most impressive lighting showroom in NSW (and possibly Australia). A proud achievement for a company that began trading in a shed. Little wonder Rovert is now a standard-setter for the industry.

Getting a start in business without a lot of financial backing wasn’t easy 40 years ago. There wasn’t as much money around back then. Bank loans weren’t on offer every day in the mail. So a lot of blokes just went out and tried to make a start with whatever they had, which often didn’t amount to a great deal. Back in 1965, when a bloke named Trevor Bull began selling cable from a shed in Mayfield, a suburb of Newcastle NSW, no-one would have given him much chance of long-term success. But most would have given him “a fair go”.

Originally trading under the name Conqueror Cables, Trevor must have done something right, because the business didn’t go under like so many other hopefuls did, striking out on their own in search of a quid. Perhaps the name change to “Rovert” (Trevor spelt backwards) in 1966 was the boost Trevor needed when he established the company’s head office in Broadmeadow, Newcastle. The head office continues there today under the guidance of second-generation family - director Peter Bull and General Manager Troy Griggs.

“Lighting compliments the electrical trade perfectly, and with the variety, service and experience we offer throughout our retail outlets, it really sets us apart from our competitors.”

INDUSTRY LEADERS across the central and northern regions of NSW

Over the past 40 years Rovert has grown steadily, and is now located in 6 regions of NSW. Covering most of the NSW Central Coast, North Coast and Hunter Valley, Rovert has stores in Erina, Toronto, Rutherford, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. An independent family business, Australian owned and operated, Rovert can now justly claim to be one of the industry leaders in both electrical wholesaling and retail lighting.

Dedicated to our TRADE customers first and foremost.

With greater competition between wholesalers and a sharper focus on price, Rovert continues to offer excellent pricing with personal service. Committed to serving the contractor base as well as project and contract work, Rovert understands that with fuel costs, labor costs and the general rise in the cost of products, it has become more important for tradesmen to stay onsite in order to bring a job in on time and on budget. For this purpose, Rovert employs a large number of sales representatives in order to do what it considers most important: servicing the customer at their place of business.

“As a founding member of Gemcell, Rovert’s association with Australia’s largest independent buying group has always been important and a large contributing factor to the company’s growth and future within the industry.”

At the cutting edge of new LIGHTING concepts (even the green ones).

Lighting has really developed over the past 30 years, and Rovert has kept pace with it. With the current global push to go green, lighting is being revitalized with new innovative concepts using energy efficient technology. Nowadays, the consumer is more educated than ever on environmental issues and an increasing number of clients expect to have the choice of a green alternative.

Rovert is an industry leader in this fast-advancing field. This was clearly demonstrated when Rovert opened their Rutherford lighting showroom in July 2007, which set a new standard in displaying choice, style and quality. Many reports from the consumer, contractor and supplier were highly complimentary, stating this showroom to be the most impressive lighting showroom within NSW, and possibly Australia. Rovert carries all the latest energy efficient lighting solutions as well as a limited range of products available online through rovert.com.au.

The Rovert Family

Rovert is proud to be a family business, with our employees as our extended family. “The staff roster has doubled in the past 5 years to over 75 employees,” said Troy. “Rovert have 12 employees with a length of service ranging between 16 and 35 years, and several more closing in on 10 years. With such time and experience on offer among our staff members, one of the strengths of the Rovert business is our staff”, Troy added.