Bolton’s Office National - About Us

Our Story

Located in Bendigo, Bolton’s Office National is Central Victoria’s premier service provider of office products & solutions, providing procurement solutions for Stationery & Office Supplies, Office Furniture & Equipment, Business Technology Equipment, Printing Services, Industrial & Corporate Workwear, Photocopiers & Multi-Function Device Support.

 

Since its commencement in 1885, Bolton Office National has been locally owned and operated and is committed to being the leader in the provision of service and procurement solutions.

 

With the collective support of the Office National group and brands, Bolton’s Office National have business relationships with the country’s major suppliers enabling the best range of offerings in Central Victoria. In addition, our collective buying power provides us with a competitive buying advantage channelled to our client base. Combined with a focus on high levels of personalised service, Bolton’s Office National covers all your business needs.

Our Commitment

 

All of Bolton’s Office National account managers and service technicians are experienced solution providers and are committed to developing a solution that suits your business. Bolton’s Office National prides itself on its commitment to complete customer satisfaction and service through all of its business divisions and its ability to operate in an environment of continuous development.

 

Bolton’s Office National boasts an impressive trading history spanning over 130 years; this achievement is a direct result of their corporate values and company strategies adopted along the way. Bolton’s Office National employs over 20 local staff members across Central Victoria and prides itself on its contribution to the local economy and on its contribution to many of the local charities, schools and sporting organisations.

 

Our History

History tells us that Benjamin Bolton and his two eldest sons, William and Arthur, began a printing business known as Bolton & Sons on March 25, 1885. But the Bolton name could just as easily have been erased from the annals of Bendigo during the treacherous sea journey that brought them from England in 1883.

 

Benjamin, his wife and eight children (the youngest of whom was only three months old), boarded the “clipper” ship Ivanhoe on 17 July 1883 with little idea of what lay in store for them. Halfway through their 84-day journey, the Ivanhoe found itself in the midst of an equinoxial gale. For two days and nights, the ship was battered by huge seas and winds, while the Boltons and other passengers were battened down below deck with just a few candles and no fresh food or water.

 

The ship and its passengers survived, but many of the crew were injured, and the ship was badly damaged. Having survived the gale, a week later, the Ivanhoe was hit with sleet, hail and snow, and the peril of icebergs. It must have been a great day for the Bolton family when Cape Otway appeared out of the fog, and the cry of “land ho!” echoed about the ship. The Bolton’s had arrived, and a Bendigo institution was about to be born.

 

The location of the original printing business was in High Street but later moved to Williamson Street where the business underwent a name change to Bolton Bros and expanded into manufacturing paper bags and other stationery lines. In 1902, Bolton Bros moved to 43 Mitchell Street, which housed the retail stationery department and the main office, while the printing factory was on the second and third floors. Next door at 47 Mitchell Street, the wholesale division and machine service department operated. William and Arthur Bolton and their sons travelled throughout central and northern Victoria selling their own products and representing other companies.

 

They are credited with being the innovators of the loose-leaf ledger. Today, of course, the business is back in Williamson Street with an even greater presence but the same entrepreneurial flair that has seen it survive and flourish through everything history has thrown at it. Having gone through five generations of family ownership, current company director-David Bolton, is proud of his company’s history and contribution to the local economy.