Victa is an Australian manufacturer of outdoor garden equipment, including petrol and electric lawn mowers, edgers, trimmers, and chainsaws. They manufacture these in petrol &

lithium-ion A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also ...

powered variants. However, Victa remains most well known for the Victa Lawn Mower. The Victa brand is currently owned by the American engine manufacturer

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of gasoline engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large facili ...

; while being American owned, some assembly is retained in Australia with much occurring at various sites overseas. Manufacturing also primarily occurs overseas. In Australia & New Zealand, Victa Products are sold through

Bunnings Warehouse Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian household hardware chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings was founded in Perth, Wester ...

, specialist dealers and

Mitre 10 Mitre 10 is an Australian retail and trade hardware store chain. Operations are based on a cooperative system, where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights. The chain name references the mitre joint. Th ...

. Victa is also sold in limited quantities through specialist dealers internationally.

History

The company was founded by Mervyn Victor Richardson in 1952. In 1970 Victa was acquired by Sunbeam Corporation Ltd. In 1996, the company was sold to GUD Holdings Limited, who sold the Victa Lawn Care business to American-based

for A$23 million in 2008. In the 1960s, Victa produced a range of project homes in Australia. While most design and manufacturing capability has remained in Australia, such as assembly, research and development, and parts for manufacture, all engine products are sourced from Briggs & Stratton's Facilities in

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Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

References

Further reading
"Aussie Icon Falls into American Hands"
, Brisbane Times, 2008-06-04

External links

*

Victa Lawn Mower patent at IP Australia website

National Museum of Australia
1958 Victa lawn mower, one of two held at the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

. {{Commons category, Victa lawn mowers Manufacturing companies of Australia Australian brands Lawn mower manufacturers Australian inventions

History

See also

References

External links