7 minute read
RETAIL PROFILE: HARVEY NORMAN IRELAND
Harvey Norman acknowledges 20 years of business in Ireland
BY JAMES WELLS
Harvey Norman recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Irish business.
Harvey Norman Ireland CEO, Tim Hannon told Appliance Retailer it was important to recognise the people that had worked for the business over the last two decades.
“There are still 13 people who started with us 20 years ago that are still working for us, and this is significant when you consider that only 50 to 60 staff started with us all those years ago. We now have 1,400 staff across the 18 stores – 16 stores located in southern Ireland and two in Northern Ireland.
“The reason why Harvey Norman has been successful is the company culture of giving people autonomy and letting them have a say in how it is run. It is also about being given the freedom to try new ideas to help find a way to make things better.
“We often talk about the origins of Harvey Norman and how Gerry started selling vacuum cleaners door to door and how the business has grown from there.
Yes – we are part of this global company and have a global framework, but we are empowered and given the opportunity to directly meet the needs of our local customers – and it is clear that the Irish people love that.”
Hannon believes there are few differences between Australian and Irish consumers within the Harvey Norman retailing environment.
“Technology and appliances are fairly universal these days – and consumers are always looking for the latest tech. We have also seen that energy efficiency is becoming more important when it comes to purchasing appliances. There are some differences in the style of product in furniture and bedding with a more traditional style common.”
The use of marketing is just as prevalent in the Irish market with the Harvey Norman brand echoing regularly across broadcast media – particularly radio.
“In terms of promotion, how we market and where we market – we are taking the best of what’s being done across Harvey Norman globally and then executing it in Ireland. We work across all media types and have excellent partners in all the major media companies. We use newspapers, radio and television as well as digital. We have started doing more with LED outdoor signage and this has been used at a number of Irish rugby and football matches this year,” he said.
The most recent Harvey Norman store opened in Ireland was Fonthill in Dublin in July 2022 and prior to this Galway and Sligo were opened during Covid.
“If you look at the revenue from the business from back in 2018 to 2022 – we doubled our revenue which is a great achievement and something our teams should be incredibly proud of,” Hannon said.
Competitors in the Ireland market including Currys, DID Electrical, Powercity as well as stores from the Expert and Euronics buying groups.
“We would be first or second for market share in all departments now throughout Ireland which is a great achievement over the last 20 years and a credit to all of the people who have worked here in that time. We have achieved this by giving outstanding customer service and Irish consumers love the store environment and the staff. The Harvey Norman experience clearly resonates and as a result most people in Ireland have bought something from us over the last two decades.
“A large number of leaders in the business have worked their way through the organisation after starting on the sales floor or other areas of the business. We will continue to provide opportunities for people and this is why we work so well together. If someone has a good idea, we give it a go and see if it works and everyone is able to take other people’s advice. We are lucky to have people from all over the world working here – including people like Lachlan Roach from Australia – who is energetic and has brought a fresh perspective to the business, which mixes well with our Irish team who have local knowledge and experience.”
Commenting on the milestone, Harvey Norman executive director, David Ackery said, “The 20th anniversary of the Harvey Norman Ireland business is a credit to all of those who have been involved since day one.
“The success shows the resilience and the strength of the Harvey Norman brand and as well as our systems for doing business. We have always placed good people to manage the stores and we have also been fortunate with finding good local staff to join the business as well.”
Ackery said he was proud that the Harvey Norman business had been able to transfer its business model to the other side of the world, as historically this is something that not all country-dominant brands have been able to do in their retail category.
Peter Hearn, current franchisee at Harvey Norman Osborne Park in Perth had two stints with the business in Ireland, including opening the first stores at Swords on the 19th of August 2003 and the Dundalk store two weeks later. Hearn worked for Harvey Norman Ireland initially for four years from 2003 to the end of 2007 and then again from 2019 until the end of 2021.
“It seems like yesterday that we opened those two stores in August 2003,” he told Appliance Retailer.
“During the early days we were selling the Harvey Norman brand – as it was completely unknown and this also included getting suppliers and staff to believe us and back us. We may have been big in Australia, but we still needed to earn the respect of staff, suppliers and the general public. Many of the suppliers, and the staff, are still with us today and we have a successful business 20 years down the track.
“I remember in the early days, we went through the phone book looking for suppliers as we didn’t have a database and nobody knew who we were. We were given three introductions – Electrolux, Philips and Miele – and we were told that we had to go and find the rest ourselves.
“We now have 16 stores in the Republic of Ireland and two stores in Northern Ireland and they are world class representing market leadership across the majority of product categories,” Hearn said.
“I would like to congratulate Harvey Norman Ireland on an amazing achievement – the people that have been with the business, all the great memories and the huge market success. I would also like to say a big thank you to the suppliers who have supported us from day one with our brand and have grown with us along the journey.
“A number of staff have been with the business for many years, and it shows that Gerry and Kate’s vision and the Harvey Norman DNA of investing in people, sharing information and growing with the brand has been successful even though the business is operating at different ends of the world. In particular, the autonomy provided by Gerry and Kate in the beginning to virtually go out on our own and make it happen was fantastic and exciting for all of us.”
