Peacock Bros acquires AMR Hewitts

Hewitts was established in Melbourne in 1876 by Thomas Hewitt, starting as a printing shop on La Trobe Street. In 1985, Dandenong-based printers AMR took over Hewitts’ operations, leading to the creation of AMR Hewitts PrintPackaging at Tullamarine. Twelve years after Hewitts was originally established, Peacock Bros was founded and began its operations through brothers Ernest and Charles Peacock in 1888, starting a small general printing business in Sydney before moving to Collins Street in Melbourne shortly after. 

AMR Hewitts currently operates a team of over 35 staff members based out of Victoria, primarily servicing packaging customers in the pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries. Major companies that work with AMR Hewitts include Aspen Pharmacare Australia, Ferndale Foods, and BIC Australia.

‘AMR Hewitts is a proud family-run business with long-standing customers who have come to know and trust the quality of our work. We are so pleased to be joining the Peacocks Group, given its shared values and operating culture and knowing that our staff and customers will be looked after and that the long history of the business and our brand will continue to grow into the future,’ said Matt Mimmo, chairman of AMR Hewitts.

The acquisition includes AMR Hewitts’ offices and production facilities located in Tullamarine, expanding the Peacock Bros coverage to Melbourne West. 

‘We are delighted to announce the coming together of two of the great family-run printing businesses in Australia, with over 280 years of combined printing history, to create the most experienced local printing group in the country,’ said Ryan McGrath, group managing director at Peacock Bros. 

‘The acquisition of AMR Hewitts will strengthen Peacocks Bros offering in the printed packing marketplace, complementing our current range of color labels and flexible packaging products,’ added McGrath.