Killerbys Departmental Stores Brochures

Busselton’s first chain store started with a single shop as far back as 1914 and was opened by a Vasse farming couple Benjamin and Sarah Killerby. The original shop was in Prince Street.
The Killerbys came to Australia from England where Benjamin had been an antique dealer. When they took up the opportunity to become farmers it was natural for them to apply the same faming methods on their Vasse property as they had known to be done in England. Those methods proved unsatisfactory for conditions in the Southwest and were the prime reason the couple went broke.
When an inheritance of twenty pounds was given to Benjamin, he and Sarah decided to open a small grocery store. They sold all household essentials and had such a thriving business that before long they needed to expand and made the decision to include hardware.
They bought land on the corner of Queen and Prince streets.
After the death of Benjamin in 1925 aged 56, Sarah continued to run the growing business and when her daughter Norah married Arthur Breeden the new son-in-law managed the hardware section of the business. Subsequent stores were opened in Margaret River, Cowaramup, Donnybrook, Nannup, and Jarrahwood and by 1939 the total staff reached 52. Staff at Killerbys ranged in age from 14 to 65 plus and many rode their bikes to work. One staff member from Chapman Hill, Barbara Lord estimated the total distance ridden to and from work during her many years employment would have been 120,000km.
In the 1950’s Tom the Cheap Grocer arrived and was the first competitive chain store to come to town. He opened his store in Prince Street and upset quite a few local businesses. Lund Brothers were soon sent broke, and Peake’s store went out of the grocery side of their business. Killerby’s operated till 1975
Busselton Historical Society (INC) Newsletter October 2004