About Us
Market Timbers (then trading as Simplex Trading Co.), was established by the present
owners father Frederick Vogel and his brother, Emil Vogelhut in 1947.
After WW11, there were large shortages of building materials, particularly as demand from
soldiers returning from the war, and immigrants, expanded.
Local manufacturing capacity was limited, and Emil Vogelhut who spent the war years in
Denmark and Sweden, had access to unlimited supplies of Scandinavian (Baltic), Softwood.
Frederick Vogel was unable to get import licences as these and the purchase of foreign
exchange was tightly regulated, at that time. He was however allowed to engage in 'Barter
Trade'. He shipped his brother American Army surplus clothing left by the American Army in
Australia after World War 11, which his brother was easily able to sell in Europe short of food
and clothing. In exchange his brother could ship lumber from Scandinavia to Australia.
They began importing Baltic Weatherboards and flooring, and the business grew that quickly
that they had nowhere to store their inventory. The shortage of bricks, steel & timber meant
that the only way they could quickly get warehouse space was to ship a prefabricated
warehouse from Sweden. This is the warehouse is still used as a storage facility by Market
Timbers.
Today the business specializes in high quality flooring products from Australia and abroad,
particularly European, as well as structural hardwoods and furniture timbers.
For over sixty years Market Timbers has supplied timber products to government departments
the residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, furniture, and timber industry.
Today some of our newly imported lines, exclusive to Market Timbers, including our Bamboo,
and Model Hardwood comes with FSC certification, which demands world best practice in
forestry management.
Head to our showroom!
Staff
Gary Vogel
(Managing Director)
Neil Stevenson
(General Manager)
Kurt Beyer
(Architectural Sales Consultant)
Rez Razak
(Sales / Admin)
