Hills Limited dates back to 1945, when Lance Hill invented the Hills Hoist, a height-adjustable rotary clothes line. With his brother-in-law Harold Ling, Hill manufactured the clothes lines in his backyard in Glenunga, South Australia, before moving production to a nearby factory. Hills Hoists Ltd was formed in January 1948, with Hill as chairman and Ling as a director and by 1954, the factory had relocated to a larger site and was producing six hundred hoists a week for branches across Australia. In 1956, Hill retired due to ill-health, and Ling took over as chairman. During the 1950’s Hills expanded its business into New Zealand and United Kingdom. Simultaneously, the factory in Australia was diversifying into the production of other metal products, including television antennas, and by 1957, Hills Hoist Ltd was one of the largest producers of television antennas in Australia. In 1958, Hills Hoists Ltd became a public company – Hills Industries Limited – and in the following years, entered into the TV service market, providing antennas, their installation and connection.

During the seventies, Hills kept pace with the social changes of the era, expanding its range of consumer products. During the eighties and nineties, continued to diversify, acquiring Direct Alarm Supplies in 1987 to begin a new focus on security and surveillance. In 2006, Hills ended its venture into the European market, and in 2007, Hills Healthcare was launched with the acquisition of Air Comfort Seating Systems, complementing existing K-Care and Kerry Equipment ranges. Hills quickly became the leading manufacturer of rehabilitation, mobility and hospital equipment in Australia. In 2010, Hills Industries Limited changed its company name to Hills Holdings Limited, and in 2012 embarked on strategy to restructure from a low margin, capital intensive manufacturer to a distributor of integrated technology solutions. In December 2013, the company changed its name from Hills Holding Limited to Hills Limited and divested itself of industrial, as well as its health mobility equipment businesses, to focus on opportunities in technology and communications. After licensing the sale of its Hills Home Living brands to Woolworths in 2014, Hills sold the manufacturing and sales rights to AMES Australasia in 2016.