LJ Hooker
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }}
LJ Hooker is one of Australia's largest real estate groups, with 600 franchise offices and 6,000 people engaged in residential and commercial property sales and property management.<ref>ABC Life Matters. “LJ Hooker, the man behind the brand”, ABC, 24 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2017.</ref><ref>The LJ Hooker Network https://www.ljhooker.com.au/about-us/the-lj-hooker-network</ref> The company was founded in 1928 by Sir Leslie Joseph Hooker and after being sold to a private company for 20 years, the company returned to family hands in 2009.<ref name=ADB>Template:Australian Dictionary of Biography</ref><ref>Korporaal, Glenda (2011). “Piecing together the puzzle of LJ Hooker's heritage”, The Australian, 3 February 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2017.</ref>
HistoryEdit
The first LJ Hooker office was opened in Maroubra, New South Wales in 1928.<ref name=ADB/><ref name=":1">AAP. “Suncorp sells Hooker Corp to founder's grandson”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 October 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref> Following the Depression, the company expanded and opened offices in Sydney, Kensington, Kingsford and Randwick.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1936, LJ Hooker purchased the real estate business and offices of Woods & Co. in Kensington and Kingsford.<ref name="man" /> In 1938, Rex Investments is registered and purchased real-estate agencies and hotels around Australia.<ref name="ADB" /> The following year, LJ Hooker established its headquarters in Pitt Street, Sydney by buying H. L. Cross & Co., a city agency.<ref name="man" /><ref>“L J Hooker”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 February 1939. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref>
In 1946, LJ Hooker bought the real estate business of Harold Bray Pty Ltd in Bondi Beach.<ref name="man" /> In 1947, the company was floated on the Sydney Stock Exchange.<ref name="ADB" /> The following year, LJ Hooker purchased F. Egan & Son, a real estate agency in Bondi Junction.<ref name="man" /> In 1949, the company expanded into hotel brokerage.Template:Citation needed
In 1950, the tenth office was opened in Crows Nest<ref>“L. J. Hooker Limited”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December 1950. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref> and in 1951 the Manly office was opened after the purchase of Thorn Coleman & Co.<ref name="man" /><ref>“L J Hooker Limited”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 October 1951. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref> LJ Hooker's expansion continued, and by 1953 the agency was the largest real estate agency in Australia.<ref name="man">Hooker, N. LJ Hooker The Man, 2011.</ref><ref>“Records Reported In Sales This Year”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 1954. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref> In 1955 Hooker Rex was established for the development of new homes in Batemans Bay, Kogarah and the Gold Coast through Hooker Rex Pty Ltd.<ref name="ADB" /> In 1958, the company's name was changed to L. J. Hooker Investment Corporation Ltd.<ref name="ADB" /> In 1959, the Hooker Finance company was established.<ref name="ADB" />
In 1960, LJ Hooker became Australia's first national real estate agency network.<ref name="man" /> The following year, Hooker Projects began developing nursing homes, motels and other projects.<ref>“L. J. Hooker Forms New Division”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October 1961. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1963, Hooker House was opened in Sydney.<ref>“Head Office Opened By Premier”, "The Sydney Morning Herald", 31 August 1963. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Hooker Project offices were opened in Melbourne in 1966, Brisbane in 1967, Perth in 1968, and Townsville and Canberra in 1969.<ref name="man" />
In 1968, the company's name changed to Hooker Corporation Ltd.<ref name="ADB" /> In 1969, Hooker Home Units was established, which specialised in building home units and town houses.Template:Citation needed
Leslie Joseph Hooker died in 1976.<ref name="ADB" /> In 1985, George Herscu bought the Hooker Group for $450 million.<ref name=":2">Allen, Lisa “Disgraced tycoon George Herscu dies at 85”, "The Australian", 21 December 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2017.</ref> In 1989, LJ Hooker owed $1.77 billion,<ref name=":2" /> and was purchased by Suncorp Metway.<ref name=":1" />
In 2009, Janusz Hooker, Leslie Hooker's grandson, formed a consortium with other buyers and bought the company back from Suncorp-Metway for $67 million.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2015, Janusz Hooker and other shareholders bought out the minority shareholders to consolidate ownership of the company.<ref name=":3" />
International expansionEdit
In the mid-1980s, while led briefly by CEO George Herscu, LJ Hooker crossed into development and acquisition of retailers and large scale shopping complexes in the United States. During this period LJ Hooker also acquired Merrill Lynch Commercial Real Estate in an effort to infuse seasoned Commercial Real estate expertise into its retail development arm. Robert Rodriguez (Sr. VP) and Dennis Mulligan (VP) led the retail real estate group for Merrill Lynch Commercial Real estate. <ref name="APNewsHerscue">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This move proved ill-conceived, with such ventures as the purchase and operation of several storied American department store chains as B. Altman & Co., Bonwit Teller, Sakowitz and Parisian stores, to be used as anchors for a number of large shopping malls in the United States.<ref name=APNewsHerscue/> Having no track record in understanding the complex operations required to run retail department stores, this venture proved deeply flawed and plunged LJ Hooker, the department stores and its various development holdings into bankruptcy.<ref name=APNewsHerscue/><ref name="CBCMills">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Most of the department store chains were liquidated with large economic and employment losses. The one mall complex that was constructed during Herscu's tenure, the Forest Fair Mall in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, went through numerous changes in ownership and operations.<ref name=CBCMills/> Today the ill-fated mall is still struggling, having gone through three name changes. This period, although brief in its history, was deeply tumultuous and troubling and led to LJ Hooker Limited being purchased by the Queensland based Suncorp-Metway, in January 1989.<ref name=:1/>
LJ Hooker was liquidated in the late 1980s, but the name continued through the franchise arrangement that continues.<ref name=ADB/> In 1997, it opened offices in Hong Kong<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Papua New Guinea.<ref name="ljh" />
AcquisitionsEdit
In 1996, LJ Hooker purchased the Challenge Realty Group in New Zealand and in 1998 they rebranded it as LJ Hooker.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2003, LJ Hooker purchased the real estate franchise group Olsen & Everson.<ref name=":0" /> In 2002, LJ Hooker opened its first offices in Indonesia, and in 2004, LJ Hooker opened offices in Mumbai, India, and Shanghai.<ref name=ljh>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In October 2004, Grahame Cooke stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Warren McCarthy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2009, Suncorp confirmed it sold its LJ Hooker real estate chain business to Janusz Hooker,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the grandson of founder Sir Leslie Hooker, for $67 million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In July 2015, he also bought out the investors to take full control of the group.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In November 2010, LJ Hooker acquired Harveys Real Estate Group in New Zealand.<ref name=ljh />
OrganisationEdit
Hooker Corporation Limited<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is the holding company, and LJ Hooker Limited is the trading entity. Hooker Corporation Limited's ACN is 003 890 444 and the ACN of L.J. Hooker Limited is 003 890 4553. LJ Hooker is a franchise operation.<ref name="grant">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The real estate side of the business is done by franchise owners. Grant Harrod was appointed chief executive officer and managing director in 2014.<ref name="grant" /> The company chairman is Janusz Hooker.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SubsidiariesEdit
LJ Hooker has also established an independent incorporated legal practice trading as LJ Hooker Conveyancing NSW, which is a division of Guardian Conveyancers Pty Ltd (ACN 136 790 022). The business is independently owned and operated under licence from LJ Hooker Limited. LJ Hooker Conveyancing is located in Sydney.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Western Australia it uses LJ Hooker Settlements to do their conveyancing.<ref>https://ljhookersettlements.com.au</ref>
LogosEdit
- LJ Hooker Logo 1937.png
1937
- LJ Hooker Logo 1948.png
1948
- LJ Hooker Logo 1953.png
1953
- LJ Hooker Logo 1959.png
1959
- LJ Hooker Logo 1969.png
1969
- LJ Hooker Logo 1993.png
1993
- LJ Hooker Logo in 2015.png
2015 (a similar logo was used in the 2000s)