The Warehouse Group (TWG) was founded by Stephen Tindall in 1982, and is the largest retail group operating in New Zealand. It is a corporate group that consists of The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Torpedo7, Noel Leeming, 1-day and TheMarket. History The first Warehouse group store opened in North Shore, Auckland in 1982. In 1994, Warehouse was added to the New Zealand Exchange, under the symbol TWH. In 1996, a distribution centre opened on the North Island. In 2000, it was added to the NZSE 10 index. Also in 2000, the group acquired Clint's Crazy Bargains and Silly Solly's in Australia. In 2003 the Warehouse Australia brand was launched. In 2005, a lab store launched in the Hamilton suburb of Te Rapa. That same year, the Warehouse brand was relaunched with new lower-case logo, announced its plan to enter the liquor market and that it would end operations in Australia by Christmas. In 2005, Warehouse Australia was sold to Catalyst Investment Managers and Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners for A$92 million (NZ$99m). In 2006 the Warehouse began selling alcoholic beverages in selected stores and launched a new set of stores branded 'The Warehouse Extra' at Sylvia Park, Auckland, which included full grocery as well as a pharmacy, bakery and photo processing. In 2007, the company celebrated its 25th birthday and marked the occasion by releasing 13,000 balloons, causing concerns from environmentalists. In 2008, Warehouse Extra stores were converted to the standard format. In 2009, the first smaller-concept store, The Warehouse Local, opens in Mosgiel. In 2010 the Warehouse opened a store in Gisborne, New Zealand, the first large format store since the opening of The Warehouse Sylvia Park in 2006. In 2012, The Warehouse ceased its instore pharmacy offer. Later that year, The Warehouse announced it is buying electronics retailer The Noel Leeming Group for $65 million. In 2013 TW Group holds Click Madness, a one-day online only sale across all brands in the group. Also in 2013, TW Group Purchases Torpedo7, No. 1 Fitness, Shotgun Supplements, Shop HQ (pet.co.nz & baby.co.nz), and Insight Traders. In 2014, TW Group Buys R&R Sport and SchoolTex. That same year, the TW Group launches The Warehouse Group Financial Services after the takeover of Diners Club NZ. In 2014, the group purchased the New Zealand-based branches of Australian retail chain The Good Guys, turning their five NZ based stores into their various retail brands. In