Fox & Lillie Rural (FLR) proudly opened their new Bendigo wool store on 19 June 2025 with over 200 guests attending to celebrate the launch.
The event featured special guest speakers, including Travis Edwards, who delivered a powerful talk on the importance of mental health in farming, and local police officer Dan O’Bree, who addressed the rising issue of stock theft and shared valuable insights on how to keep farms secure.
Highlights included James Lillie, Managing Director officially opening the store with a ceremonial ribbon cutting using a pair of 120-year-old shears and delicious lamb rolls from local catering company, The Harvest Taste.
Located in Goornong and led by Alister Carr, regional brokerage manager and supported by Gen Butler, wool marketing representative, the new wool store expands Fox & Lillie Rural’s current services in Central Victoria, Northern Victoria, Western Riverina, Goulburn Valley, and the Eastern Mallee.
The regional nature of the Fox & Lillie business is key to their slogan of “Deliver local and save time and freight “. The Bendigo wool store offers a comprehensive range of direct wool buying, broking and wool marketing options as well as Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) and direct to export and shipping services.
Other local services include wool storage, quick turnaround from shed to auction, tender services, private trade, and store door buying services with prompt payment and on-farm pickup service.
Alister believes that the strength of Fox & Lillie Rural and his team is a focus on growers and keeping it local. “We work to provide the best services and advice that support our regional clients and improves their bottom line. We also have a strong focus on supporting our local community. We employ local staff, use local suppliers where possible and sponsor many local events and clubs”.
The Bendigo wool store will also provide local clients access to Fox & Lillie Group’s full Agri Services offering. This includes livestock and property services, as well as strong connections to Fox & Lillie (FOXM), the company’s wool trading, exporting, and early-stage processing business.
Alister says that “the vertical integration with Fox & Lillie, means that woolgrowers can connect directly with international wool users, providing important selling advantages and comprehensive market information. The company has a strong history in wool processing and is a shareholder in a specialised open tops processing factory in China, which is an industry leader in supplying high quality open tops to wool spinners throughout the world.”
“We’re very excited that our Bendigo wool store is now operational and I look forward to working with wool growers in the region to deliver healthy returns and marketing opportunities for their enterprises,”.
Click here to take a look at a video of the fantastic turnout at the opening event.
