Godfreys is an Australian retailer in the domestic and commercial floorcare and cleaning industry, headquartered in Melbourne. Founded by Godfrey Cohen in 1931, at its peak it had more than 220 company and franchise-owned stores combined across Australia and New Zealand.[1][2] The company went into voluntary administration in 2024 and was relaunched under an online and wholesale model in 2025 after failing to find a buyer for the chain and its now-estranged franchisees.
History
Godfrey Cohen started the business in 1931 after buying 30 vacuum cleaners from auctions in the newspaper and putting them up for sale in his family's furniture store at a time when vacuum cleaners were typically only sold by door-to-door salesmen.[2][3] It wasn't long before businessman John Johnston came across Godfrey Cohen's business, and the two quickly became business partners over a simple handshake, opening the first Godfreys store at the Prahran Market in Melbourne and forming a partnership that lasted for over 70 years. Over this period, the business rapidly expanded within Australia as demand from customers increased after