Briscoes 150 Years in New Zealand By Ian Hunter

HARDBACK with jacket. Nearly as new. Minor shelf/edge wear 304 pages Published by Hunt, 2012

The story of Briscoes is the story of New Zealand. This fascinating and colourful history transports you from the early days of the New Zealand gold rushes to the drama behind the World Cup Adidas deal. Founded in Wolverhampton in 1781, Briscoes began trading in New Zealand in 1862. The company supplied everything from picks and shovels for gold miners, iron to construct wharves, dynamite to open tunnels and reclaim land, as well as the crockery, lamps, and cutlery that adorned colonial homes. But Briscoes is much more than just a story of hardware. The red-tiled roofs that adorn thousands of New Zealand homes and businesses are Briscoes Marseilles roofing tiles. And it was Briscoes that supplied and fixed the magnificent pressed-steel ceilings that grace thousands of villas. By the 1980s, Briscoes was struggling. The company had passed through several owners, and after a string of losses, Briscoes future appeared uncertain. It was the 1990 purchase of Briscoes by retail entrepreneur Rod Duke that saw a revival of the old New Zealand company. Re-established as New Zealand's leading supplier of homewares, the company has since expanded tenfold in size, and in the face of a global recession remains one of the consistent success stories of New Zealand industry: something it has been doing for 150 years. You will discover: The afternoon Briscoes blew up Auckland Harbour; How to turn a sack of old nails into $60 million dollars; Where in Christchurch you can buy striped barber's paint; The day Briscoes had only $25 left in the bank;

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