Total Tools – acquisition of 14 franchise stores by Metcash / Mitre 10

• Total Tools is the franchisor to Australia’s largest professional tools retail network, serving trade and commercial customers nationally; following Metcash’s majority investment it sits within Metcash’s hardware pillar alongside Mitre 10 and Home Hardware
• Miles was engaged to advise Total Tools (Metcash / Mitre 10) on the acquisition of 14 franchise stores, converting franchisee-owned locations into corporately owned stores
• The transaction extends Metcash’s progressive corporatisation of the Total Tools network, capturing the full store-level economics and giving the group greater control over a high-performing retail format

Industry Context

Acquiring established franchise stores is lower-risk than greenfield expansion because the locations carry proven trading histories and embedded customer bases. For Metcash, progressively corporatising Total Tools stores deepens its exposure to the structurally growing professional tools segment, which has benefited from sustained construction and trade activity. The strategy mirrors a broader pattern in Australian hardware and trade retail of consolidating fragmented ownership under a single banner.