The Guthrie Bowron brand was founded in 1896 by Dunedin-born Henry Guthrie, soon joined by George Bowron. The pair travelled throughout the South Island selling various products, and in the mid-1920s became involved in importing lacquer, varnish, lead and linseed oil, the base ingredients for paint at the time. In 1932 Guthrie Bowron was appointed agent for Dulux Paints and around this time opened a wallpaper store in Christchurch.
Guthrie Bowron became a public company in 1963 and by 1969 had 18 branches nationwide, retailing mainly paint and wallpaper. In 1971 the company was purchased by ICI (NZ) Ltd, the owner and manufacturer of the Dulux paint brand, and by 1985 had grown to 34 outlets.
In 1992 Guthrie Bowron was sold to a team of senior managers who set about franchising the stores, and the business continued to grow into a solely franchise business, now operating under the management of GBHC 2014 Limited.
Guthrie Bowron are New Zealand's home decorating specialists, offering Kiwis everything they need to refresh their homes along with expert advice in every store. The vision is to be New Zealand's most inspiring home decorating destination, with a unique product offering spanning paint, wallpaper, decorating tools, curtains, blinds, flooring and homeware.
Guthrie Bowron leads mainstream New Zealand in decorating advice, knowledge and products, offering customers a complete decorating solution both in store and in their homes.