Dick Smith Electronics

Founded on the philosophy of customer service, the success of Dick Smith Electronics is dependent on building and maintaining customer loyalty and providing customers with the latest technology, quality products, competitive prices, backed up with after sales support.

History

In 1968, a young electronics technician named Dick Smith opened a car radio installation business in Artarmon, a suburb of Sydney. The business began in tiny rented premises beneath a car park, but due largely to good customer service and Dick Smith's flair for gaining publicity, it soon flourished and in 1969 it moved to larger premises.

By 1980 the company expanded to over 20 stores and grew so much that working capital could no longer be supplied by Dick Smith alone. As a consequence he sold a 60% share holding to the big Australian retail chain, Woolworths, and in 1982 he sold the balance to them. From that point on the company has continued to grow and flourish at an impressive rate.

Interestingly, when Woolworths bought out the company, it also bought the rights to the familiar black and yellow logo which incorporated the name and face of Dick Smith. Research showed that the public felt comfortable and secure with a company that had become one of Australia's retail success stories. This is still true today which is why the face and name of Dick Smith is still strongly connected with the company.

Growth

Throughout the '80s and '90s the company has continued to grow. The past five years in particular have seen very visible changes reflected in: greater product diversification with more emphasis being placed on consumer electronics such as computers, mobile phones, fax machines and audio; total redesign of corporate colours and store interiors; the introduction of preferred dress for sales staff; and the opening of six to ten new stores per year.

People

The company employs over 2000 people with over 130 company owned stores operating in the cities and larger towns of Australia and New Zealand.

PowerHouse Stores

In 1996 the company opened a new concept superstore called PowerHouse. These PowerHouse stores are at present located only in Sydney and Melbourne. These electronic superstores provide an interactive environment where customers can try products before buying them.

Franchises and Stockists

There are also about 70 authorised stockists and ten franchise stores operating in smaller towns and country areas throughout Australia and New Zealand, serviced by Dick Smith Electronics' Wholesale Division.

Mail Order Division

The mail order division known as DirectLink is trading strongly and offers reliable turnaround on orders to tens-of-thousands of regular customers. The mail order division also handles the despatch of all orders received over the Internet.

Product Range

The product range, from computers and mobile phones to light bulbs and batteries, now stands at over 30,000 and is growing. This range is continuously increasing with the opening of the PowerHouse stores. These stores also stock an extended entertainment and music product range.

Advertising and Promotion

The company spends considerable sums each year in a vigorous advertising and promotion campaign which includes magazines, newspapers, television and radio. A large portion of the budget is spent on the annual catalogue and on regular colour brochures which are distributed to approximately six million households every month.

Customer Service

Dick Smith Electronics, is committed to providing customers with not only an excellent range of products, but both first class service and unbeatable after sales support.

To this end, a team of buyers scour the world looking for suitable products, and an in-house Quality Control department ensures the products offered to the customers meet stringent safety and performance standards.

Head Office

The company's Head Office and Warehouse/Distribution complex is located in the north-west area of Sydney.

Summary

Dick Smith Electronics has grown steadily over the years to become firmly established as a dynamic force in the Australasian electronics retail industry. It has a reputation for honest, ethical business dealings, and is a profitable and soundly managed enterprise. With its business expansion, strong branding and good reputation Dick Smith Electronics is enjoying the position it has achieved as a market leader.

Poised and ready to further exploit the wave of technology which is capturing the imagination of the world, the company is uniquely placed in the Australasian market to bring the many practical and innovative products of the future to its customers.

Web Link: Dick Smith Electronics

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