The secretive Exclusive Brethren religious sect has moved to expand its sprawling business empire with a new supermarket planned in Melbourne’s north-east to serve only church followers.
A company directed by members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) bought 25-31 Sherbourne Road in Briar Hill for $6.3 million, property records show.
Exclusive Brethren members plan to build a Campus&Co supermarket for their own flock in the old Purdys Furniture building in Briar Hill.Credit: Monique Westermann
Another company, also linked to the PBCC, has submitted an application to Banyule City Council to carry out building works at the site. The plan, which is now advertised online, reveals designs for a supermarket.
The applicant, Killarney Enterprises Vic Pty Ltd, trades as Campus&Co, which the PBCC website describes as “a global chain of stores, which are run by local volunteers from the church”.
The PBCC is a closed conservative Christian sect that preaches a “hatred” for those outside it. This doctrine of separation has led members to develop what the church calls a “community ecosystem”, which includes entities to serve just the Brethren community.
The new owners of the former Purdys Furniture showroom in Briar Hill want to “essentially relocate” a Campus&Co supermarket that operated from a OneSchool Global campus on Ironbark Road in nearby Yarrambat, according to planning documents.
The building at 25-31 Sherbourne Road, Briar Hill.Credit: Eddie Jim
The Exclusive Brethren established the OneSchool Global network in the 1990s to educate their children.
Sydney-based “Man of God” Bruce D. Hales leads the global church, which exerts control over much of members’ lives, barring them from socialising with outsiders aside from business dealings.
The church’s long history of attempted political influence drew fresh scrutiny recently as members campaigned for the Coalition at the 2025 federal election, despite the church barring followers from voting. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the Exclusive Brethren a cult, though the church rejects the label.
A trail of business records show the parent company of the Briar Hill developer is UBT Marketing, one of many Brethren-linked companies based at 10 Herb Elliott Avenue at Sydney’s Olympic Park.
The Australian Taxation Office raided those headquarters in March last year as part of a probe into suspected tax evasion, fraud, secrecy or concealment. The organisation said in response it was “working with the ATO to support with a regular audit”.
Church leaders have amassed considerable business and property fortunes.
Some of their associated entities, like the Rapid Relief Team, are charities that engage with the broader public. Others, like TyreMax and firms that won lucrative government contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic, are commercial ventures, approved under another church doctrine to “spoil the Egyptians” and “charge the highest price to the worldly people”.
A few firms, such as Campus&Co, are designed for Brethren members specifically.
This masthead has previously reported that many Campus&Co shops are based on OneSchool Global grounds, staffed by unpaid Brethren women, and charge a premium to the flock for their groceries.
The new Campus&Co shop in Briar Hill will be restricted to the PBCC-linked Yarrambat school community via an electronic keypad and unique codes, a town planning report to Banyule Council said.
“The supermarket is operated as a fund-raising entity affiliated with and benefiting the OneSchool Global private education centres,” the report said.
Another letter to the council in late February said Campus&Co had supermarkets in Melton, Geelong and Ballarat to service OneSchool Global campuses. It said the proposed Sherbourne Road shop targeted about 180 households from the Yarrambat campus living in the Whittlesea, Nillumbik and Banyule municipalities.
“Members of the general public cannot become members of the supermarket and are not invited to do so,” it said.
Up to three volunteers from the school community will staff the shop at any one time, generally from 9am to 12.30pm on weekdays. However, shopping is generally self-service.
Designs for the shop include a deli with cheese and eggs. A fruit and vegetable section is also marked on the floor plans.
A spokesman for Campus&Co said some supermarket profits were invested into “charitable endeavours associated with the church” but stressed they were distinct.
“Campus&Co is a separate entity to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, but it is a place where people from the church can gather, socialise and purchase goods,” the spokesman said.
“Campus&Co also supports dozens of local businesses by sourcing products from a range of different suppliers and producers.”
A spokesman for the PBCC said church members had lived in Melbourne’s north-east for more than 20 years and had a main hall in Diamond Creek.
The associated OneSchool Global campus in Yarrambat is currently not operating, the spokesman said.
“In 2019 the students were relocated to another campus as the facility requires upgrading and various options are currently being considered,” he said.
A spokesperson for Banyule City Council said an officer would have the final say on the Campus&Co planning application in Briar Hill.
The application also seeks permission to erect a fence, carry out landscaping and reduce the quiet supermarket’s car parking requirements. The building works are estimated to cost $90,000.
The application is not expected to be voted on by elected councillors at a meeting, but instead by a council officer.
“The site is already zoned for commercial use – a permit is not required for the supermarket use itself,” a council spokesperson said.
“The specific company or business submitting an application is not considered by council, as it’s not a relevant consideration under the planning scheme.”
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