Ballins Expand In North Island

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 20

Ballins Expand In North Island

Ballins Industries, Ltd, which formerly concentrated its activities on the Canterbury areas, has in recent months expanded into the North Island.

The company has acquired four wine and spirit merchants and formed a close association with another. Ballins also has a substantial interest in the New Zealand wine industry, with a large holding in McWilliams Wines (N.Z.), Ltd. The managing director (Mr B. J. Wilks) says that the company’s first purchase in the North Island was W. H Lees and Company, Ltd, on April 1.

The company is situated in the main street of Lower Hutt, and caters for the domestic and hotel trade. Mr K. Lees and his son are continuing to manage the company for Ballins.

The next acquisition was Stroud Bros., Ltd, of Upper Hutt, a company that has been run by Messrs E. and R. Stroud since its formation, and services a large and expanding population.

I A move into the Auckland ; area followed with the pur- . chase of Mitchell’s Wines and Spirits, Ltd, in Panmure. This . licence was obtained by Mr B. . Mitchell in the Mount Wel- ! lington district about three s years ago. Mr Mitchell is managing the business for Bal- . lins in the meantime. , This was followed by an- ’ other Auckland deal in which Ballins merged interests with ' CG. Maclndoe Proprietary, 1 Ltd, in conjunction with Fletcher Humphreys and Com--1 pany, Ltd, of Christchurch. The Maclndoe company ’ holds numerous national agen- ■ cies; the family will continue ■ to manage the business. ’ Yesterday it was announced ; that Ballins had taken over * the Hamilton Wine Company, 1 Ltd, thus giving the Christ- * church company a substantial ! enlargement of its trading areas within a few months.