Roberts Limited
Roberts Limited is an agricultural services company with operations in Tasmania. Established in 1865,[1] until 2006 it was Australia's oldest publicly listed company.[2] The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Ruralco in 2006, following a successful off-market takeover bid.[3]
It operates the only livestock sales yards in Tasmania,[4] 14 feed stores.[1] and insurance, irrigation, fertilizer, wool sales and real-estate services for rural customers.
History[edit]
Roberts Limited was established as Kemp, Roberts and Co, an auctioneer business founded by Henry Llewelyn Roberts (husband of Mary Roberts Grant, founder of Hobart Zoo[5]), George Anthony Kemp and John William Abbott. Its first operations were in Conara, Tasmania. Early on it acquired a Launceston wool merchants, amalgamated with Allan Stewart Pty, and later purchased the Farmers' Co-Operative Auctioneers in 1957[5] to become Roberts, Stewart & Co Ltd. It also acquired the local Massey Ferguson distribution business.[6]
In 2006, a reverse takeover bid saw Roberts become a subsidiary of Ruralco, with Roberts shareholders owning around 70% of the merged entity.[7]
In 2014, Lee Kernaghan performed at the opening of their new flagship store.[8]
In 2019, Ruralco shareholders voted in favour of the proposed acquisition of the company by Nutrien, a Canadian company listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.[citation needed]
Ruralco was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange on 1 October 2019.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Australian country music star Lee Kernaghan to play at opening of Roberts Limited store in Cambridge". The Mercury. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Ruralco to take on agri-supply giants". The Age. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Delisted following the takeover by Ruralco Holdings Limited". Delisted Australia. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Ruralco opens new $4M saleyards in Tasmania". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ a b "ROBERTS FAMILY". search.archives.tas.gov.au. LINC Tasmania. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "ROBERTS LIMITED". utas.edu.au. University of Tasmania. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Ruralco swallows Roberts". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Australian country music star Lee Kernaghan to play at opening of Roberts Limited store in Cambridge". The Mercury. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Ruralco Holdings Limited (ASX:RHL) - removal from official list" (PDF). ASX. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.