Godfrey Hirst is privileged to draw on over 150 years manufacturing experience in Australia and New Zealand.
The Godfrey Hirst name is truly synonymous with Geelong, dating back to 1865 when the Victorian Woollen and Cloth Manufacturing company was established as one of Victoria’s first textile mills.
From high quality Australian and New Zealand Made wool and synthetic carpets, hybrid, timber, laminate and vinyl hard flooring, our goal is to connect you with the right product.
Our History
Godfrey Hirst was an Englishman, trained as a weaver in his family business who moved to Victoria in search of a warmer climate. He began work at the Victorian Woollen & Cloth Manufacturing Co, but soon launched his own business venture manufacturing flannels in 1888. Despite the lull in the industry, Hirst did well and moved to a larger premises in 1889 and in partnership with Charles Shannon, a woolbroker, and Charles Smith, a fellmonger, bought the derelict Barwon woollen factory in July 1890.
Over the years, the company evolved into manufacturing blankets, rugs, tweeds and worsteds as well as flannels. After the death of Charles Smith in 1908, the business was incorporated as Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd in October 1909. In 1966, Godfrey Hirst Co was acquired with a clear focus on carpet production versus other textiles. Fast forward to 2006, 40 years later Feltex Carpets Limited was acquired by Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd. In 2018, Godfrey Hirst was acquired by Mohawk Industries, the world’s largest flooring company.
Learn more: https://www.godfreyhirst.com/au/news/strength-strength-150-years-local-manufacturing
Proudly Australian and New Zealand Made continues
Today, thousands of metres of carpet are produced in our facilities in Australia and New Zealand, and both our carpet and hard flooring are supplied across Australia and New Zealand and around the globe.
Our local investment in people, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution provides total supply chain capability, ensuring quality control and consistency from product design, right through to delivery. We are proud to have a loyal and long serving inclusive and diverse workforce while managing organisational renewal to ensure excellent mix of new thinking and deep knowledge.
We proudly operate four carpet manufacturing facilities, three yarn processing facilities, 10 distribution centres, and 14 sales offices across Australia and New Zealand. Currently, Godfrey Hirst employs over 1,000 people, of which roughly half are employed in Australia and half in New Zealand.
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