Temple & Webster was founded in 2011 by Mark Coulter, Adam McWhinney, Conrad Yiu and Brian Shanahan, a group of Australian entrepreneurs who were passionate about changing the way consumers purchased furniture and homewares.
The Group was named after William Temple (a carpenter) and John Webster (a carver and gilder), two local artisans commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to make two large ornamental chairs in 1820. Perhaps without realising it at the time, Temple & Webster were among Australia's first fine furniture designers. They were craftsmen who collaborated to create something unique and enduring (the chairs have survived to this day) and are the earliest known examples of the "Colonial Gothic" style.
Temple & Webster’s Australian heritage, their teamwork, attention to detail and desire to build something to last were attributes that inspired the co-founders and is the motivation behind the Temple & Webster brand.
Temple & Webster launched in October 2011 and has established itself as the largest online retailer in the furniture and homewares category. In June 2012, Macquarie Capital became a substantial investor and shareholder of T&W to accelerate growth.
In July 2015, Temple & Webster Group acquired the Australian operations and subsidiary of Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W), one of the world's leading online-only furniture and homewares retailers. In October 2015, Temple & Webster Group entered into an agreement to acquire Milan Direct subject to Completion of the Offer. Also in October 2015, Temple & Webster relaunched Wayfair Australia as ZIZO.com.au.
In December 2015, Temple & Webster Group listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as TPW.
In April 2016, the decision was made to retire ZIZO and merge all operations under the Temple & Webster brand using ZIZO/Wayfair's sophisticated technology platform, operating on an innovative drop-ship model. This resulted in Temple & Webster moving from a closed, members-only website to become Australia's largest online retailer of furniture and homewares.
In October 2016, Temple & Webster co-founder Mark Coulter was announced as CEO, following a period as interim CEO (after the April 2016 resignation of previous CEO and co-founder Brian Shanahan).
In December 2016, the Milan Direct online furniture store was integrated into the Temple & Webster platform as part of the Company's revised business plan. Milan Direct is now one of TPW's private label furniture brands. The move consolidated Temple & Webster's position as the dominant brand in the online furniture and homewares category.
2020-2022 was period that placed significant pressure on the Temple and Webster business model with the COVID-19 pandemic, with government enforced trading and travel restrictions placed on customers and staff. Despite these challenges, Temple and Webster was able to meet the needs of customers, showcasing the Group’s market leading supply chain capabilities (drop-ship and private label supply channels) and logistical infrastructure, quadrupling in size from 2019 to 2022.
In 2023, Temple & Webster moved into a new head office space in St Peters Sydney, with over 5,000 square meters of state-of-the-art office, warehouse and studio space, accommodating all Sydney based staff with sufficient space for future growth. This space has won multiple design awards for planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality.
In 2024, Temple and Webster achieved annual sales of ~$500m for the financial year ($497.8m), equating to a CAGR of over 30% since 2017, establishing itself as the leading pure-play online retailer in the category.
In March 2025, Temple and Webster was included in the ASX 200, reflecting the Group’s strong financial performance and shareholder value creation since listing in 2016.
The vision remains as it was on day 1; to be the first place Australians turn to when shopping for their home.
