Murray Bros celebrates 100 years

Brisbane Produce Market wholesaler, Murray Bros, is celebrating a century in business and has discovered a whole lot of history in the process. Since 1921, Murray Bros has been officially trading within Brisbane’s central markets. After returning from fighting in Europe in World War I, brothers, Reg and Arthur Murray, registered the business on 26 July 1921, and commenced trading at Brisbane Muncipal Market in Roma Street. According to the Brisbane Courier in 1932, “From a modest beginning, 10 years of steady growth has placed the business in the enviable position it occupies in the trade today”. Murray Bros continued trading at Roma Street from 1921 to 1964 under the leadership of Reg Murray, dealing with many challenges, including the Great Depression (1929-1933) and World War II (1939-1945). In 1964 the Brisbane Product Market, and Murray Bros with it, relocated to the current site at Rocklea. Murray Bros commenced trading from Building B, where they remain over 50 years later. In the 1960s and 1970s, Reg Murray introduced a number of business partners to continue to sustain and grow the business, including Don Shelton, Harold Wakely, Roy Hollett Snr and Barry Smith. In 1984, Reg Murray Snr was awarded the nation’s top fruit and vegetable wholesaling honour, the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries Meritorious Service Award. In the mid-1980s, with Reg Hollett Snr now at the helm, Murray Bros was sold to the Golden Mile group of companies. In 1990, Murray Bros was sold to Atkinson Produce (a company owned at the time by Robbie Clarke and Ross Sutherland). Atkinson Produce has remained the owner since that time. Robbie Clarke was Managing Director of the business from 1990 to 1999, when he left the business. In 1999, Gary Poole took over as Managing Director of Murray Bros, leading the company on a 10-year run of solid trading growth. In 2009, Gary Poole retired and Stephen Edwards took over as Managing Director. Stephen remains as Managing Director today. He has continued the growth momentum of Gary Poole by growing a number of the logistical arms of the business, including pre-packing, import/export logistics, fumigation and third-party logistics. In 2017, Murray Bros signed a 10-year lease with Brisbane Markets Limited to take over Building A1, the eye-catching warehouse on the corner of Sherwood Road and Martin Taylor Drive, Rocklea. At the time, current General Manager, Susan Lewis, said, “The site is compatible with the growth of our pre-packing business, third party logistics, ripening and imports program so its availability was perfect timing for us”. Since then, construction of additional cold rooms, ripening and fast cool rooms, and fumigating rooms has seen the

1950s: The Murray Bros stand in Roma Street’s Brisbane Muncipal Market.

1970s: Murray Bros has maintained the same position in the Brisbane Produce Market’s Central Trading Area since it opened in 1964.

Now: Murray Bros as it is today.

functionality of the 5,000 m2 multi-purpose facility expand even further. Murray Bros continues to trade an expansive list of fresh produce from their Building B selling floor tenancy, and also runs large storage sheds in Buildings R and M. “Murray Bros management and staff would like to take this opportunity to thank our growers and customers, past and present, for the support and cooperation which has enabled our company to reach this privileged and exciting milestone of 100 years in business,” Mrs Lewis said.