Kmart Australia Limited was born out of a joint venture between G.J Coles & Coy Limited (Coles) and the S.S. Kresge Company which was the company that operated Kmart stores in the United States. Kresge owned 51% of the common stock in the company and Coles owned the remaining 49%, together they began to develop Kmart stores in Australia in 1968. The first store opened in Burwood East a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria on 30 April 1969 with an estimated 40,000 people passing through the checkouts and taking in over $97,000 (equivalent to A$1.17 million in 2022) on the first day. The store was opened by Mrs. HB Cunningham, wife of the president and chairman of the S.S. Kresge Company The doors had been closed 45 minutes after opening as a safety measure. The site was renovated in 2010 to be a shopping mall known as Burwood One