Gemcell Australia

In one form or another this company has serviced the Melbourne electrical industry for almost 100 years. Now Vealls Electrical Wholesale has moved with the times right into the 21st century but small vital parts of its interesting history remain.

It’s footy season, and in Melbourne at weekends the atmosphere is colourful. In pubs and clubs, on trains and trams, fans resplendent in club regalia on their way to and from games can be seen and heard singing, cheering and generally roaring their respective clubs “onwards to victory”.

This year however, the atmosphere in and around the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond is a little tense. The mighty Richmond Tigers are languishing near the bottom of the table and for one of the oldest and most heavily supported sporting teams in Australia it’s an uncomfortable place to be.

The Tigers train at Punt Road Oval (affectionately known as ‘Tigerland’) but nearby in Murphy Street Richmond, Vealls Electrical Wholesale Supplies is a company with a history almost as long as the Tigers.

Those with one black eye and one yellow eye might say that Punt Road is the heart of Richmond. But as all good electrical tradies know, the heart of Richmond is at Vealls Electrical in Murphy Street.

Founded in 1911 by Arthur Veall, Vealls Electrical began trading as “Electrical And Radio Suppliers” in an era when Australia was about to enter a war unlike any the world had ever seen before. The company survived World War 1 and later World War 2, and in time steadily grew into a chain of eleven stores comprising three electrical wholesale outlets and eight electrical retail stores, all in Melbourne and run by Arthur Veall’s sons Keith and Ian. Vealls soon became identified by their logo featuring a parrot with its underlying slogan “Aahh, get it at Vealls”.

Vealls retail outlets were leading dealers for whitegoods and electrical appliances and during the 1950s and 1960s the business boomed. In these abundant times, Vealls was one of the first sponsors of the landmark TV show World Of Sport, hosted by Ron Casey with commentary by Jack Dyer and Lou Richards which aired on Channel 7 Melbourne for 28 years. World Of Sport ran from 1958 to 1986 yet by 1985 Vealls had just one store remaining open for business. It was the Richmond store, run by Arthur’s grandson Winton Veall.

Sensing the opportunity for a buyout on good terms, a partnership of four was formed and the company was purchased from Winton Veall. The business was renamed Vealls Electrical Wholesale Supplies Pty Ltd but the parrot symbol was retained as the company logo, explained director David Eldridge.

“But then came the realisation that we had all signed our homes over to the bank” said David. “That was scary. In our first three months of trading we had to pay our suppliers C.O.D. until we could gain creditor status. It was challenging but at the same time exciting and now we would not turn the clock back for quids.”

David talked about the business in glowing terms but also had a good-natured dig at the downside of owning a business. Having avoided the big F-word (F for Fail) for 24 years, David explained that the company was on solid financial ground thanks to the loyalty and support of customers and suppliers and a great core group of staff, with many who have served Vealls Electrical for ten years or more. “One key factor in our success is providing reliable service to our customers and being prepared to always go the extra mile for them. This includes if necessary tracking down supply of items that are out of stock, not on our list, rare or hard-to find,” added David.

David also revealed that being a member of Gemcell has been both vital and instrumental in their viability and growth. “Group buying power and the negotiating skills of the Gemcell executive committee on behalf of all Gemcell members gives us the competitive edge we need to succeed,” emphasised David.

In the last 24 years Vealls has ridden the stormy seas of economic turmoil, has survived one or two cock-ups and sadly, the loss of three of the company’s original partners. But Vealls continues to keep on growing and looks forward with confidence to the future.

The company will celebrate its centenary in 2011 and David Eldridge summed it up in so many words: “100 years of the company name Vealls servicing the electrical industry in Melbourne.”

One hundred years of service to the industry. Wow! It takes a while for the full meaning of that to sink in.