Pierce Pool Supplies celebrates 120 years in business
This year Pierce Pool Supplies is celebrating a significant milestone unmatched by any other Australian aquatics player – 120 years in business with 80 of those in the pool industry. This makes it the oldest existing aquatics business in Australian history.
David Lloyd, managing director of IQ and Pierce Pool Supplies says this is a special birthday for the business.
“I am so proud that Pierce Pool Supplies continues to thrive and evolve in the commercial aquatic space,” says Lloyd.
“Feeding a business to sustain its presence and growth, I think, affords a company some well-earned bragging rights! I couldn’t be happier when I look back on the company’s history and all the people that have contributed to our time in the market. I would like to give a special and sincere thank you to all our ongoing loyal customers, as our existence is only here because of their support,” he says.
The Pierce story
In 1898 Albert Henry Pierce established the company of AH Pierce as a supplier of a wide variety of products to councils and retail stores throughout NSW.
In 1938 the government, in an attempt to get over the Great Depression, loaned large sums of money to municipal and shire councils to invest in infrastructure projects such as sewerage plants and public swimming pools. The company of AH Pierce (later to become known as Pierce Pool Supplies) started importing dry chlorine powder for use in sewerage plants and swimming pools.
In those days little was known about treating swimming pool water and many problems were encountered by the pool operators. Harold Pierce, who had taken over the company when his father died, regularly travelled throughout the country supplying councils and local pools, in the process becoming an expert in both sewerage and pool treatment and also becoming a conduit for passing information throughout the pool industry on how to treat public pools.
He eventually encouraged the formation of what is now known as ARI (the Australian Recreational Institute) and was its foundation patron. Pierce went on to develop and supply a wide range of products which were used in public pools.
The AH Pierce company remained in the family’s hands until 2008 when it was purchased by International Quadratics Pty Ltd (IQ).
As IQ’s commercial pool division, Pierce Pool Supplies continues to service and supply the public pool industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. It continues the legacy of Harold Pierce of offering not just products but expert advice and training to the public pool industry and also continues to develop new problem-solving chemicals and hardware.
