Retail supremo dangles ‘game-changing’ mystery tech
A puppet of one of Australia’s leading electronics retailers has slammed rivals, joked about punishing shoplifters and hailed the arrival of game-changing consumer technology.
Although Harvey Norman chief executive Gerry Harvey was not ready to say what the mystery technology was, he told AAP he believed it would change people’s lives more in the next 10 years than anything that has happened in the past 30 years.
“There’s this new product coming soon. I won’t tell you what it is, but I know,” Mr. Norman said.
“So this product is coming out and it’s going to be a game changer.”
In an interview following Harvey Norman’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, Mr Harvey talked about the “AI impact” on products ranging from refrigerators to televisions and also mentioned robots.
“If you asked me if I would be selling robots in a showroom in 18 months, I would say ‘yes, probably’.
“Can it load the washing machine? Can it fill the refrigerator? Can it take some butter from the refrigerator and put it in the toaster? I don’t know, but that robot will be a part of our lives.”
Mr Harvey said CEO Katie Page, who is also his wife, meets regularly with executives from Harvey Norman’s top suppliers, but these meetings now occur every three or four months rather than every six months.
“The world is changing so fast because of people like Nvidia, Microsoft and others,” he said.
Mr. Harvey said Harvey Norman was trying to prepare for a high-tech future by spending money on equipment and salespeople.
“We have the best showrooms in the country by a mile,” he said.
“You walk into a JB Hi-Fi and you don’t think ‘what a nice piece of equipment’.
“You go to a Good Guys and maybe it’s a little better.”
Harvey Norman has a better-quality showroom, quality salespeople and excellent lighting, Mr. Harvey said.
“If you have a large manufacturer making a brand new product, then they want to launch it with you and not with anyone else.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, the 86-year-old entrepreneur offered shareholders a tongue-in-cheek solution to retail crime, suggesting employees should hit thieves “as hard as possible” to discourage them.
Mr Norman later clarified that the comments should not be taken literally.
Harvey Norman also announced on Wednesday that sales revenue for the period from July 1 to November 20 increased by 9.1 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
Same-store sales at Harvey Norman’s franchises in Australia rose 6.4 per cent during the period, the company said.
Harvey Norman shares were down nearly two percent to $7.24 Wednesday afternoon.
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