Operating more than 300 stores worldwide, Harvey Norman has long outgrown its native Australia. Having now established a regional hub model anchored in the West Midlands, the retailer is hoping UK customers embrace its holistic household goods offer, spanning home appliances, technology, furniture and beds. Lachlan Roach, MD of Harvey Norman UK, shares what’s in store …
What does your UK footprint comprise?
We now operate four UK stores, including our flagship location at Merry Hill in the West Midlands, two stores in Belfast, and our newest opening at Sutton Coldfield’s Gracechurch Centre, which also serves as our UK HQ.
We’ve been trading in Northern Ireland for more than 15 years, and while we’re still in the early stages of our UK mainland journey, we’ve now established a strong operational base here with a few more stores earmarked in the region, which we’re excited about.
What was the most significant point in that journey?
Opening our flagship Merry Hill store in 2024 was a major milestone for us because it represented Harvey Norman’s full-format retail proposition entering the mainland UK market. More recently, opening Sutton Coldfield as both a retail destination and our UK HQ has been another significant step in demonstrating our long-term commitment to investing in the market both locally and nationwide.
Is everything going to plan?
We’ve been very encouraged by customer response and by the momentum we’re seeing across the business. Our focus at this stage is on establishing strong foundations, building brand recognition and delivering a fantastic retail experience across furniture, home appliances and technology, and we’re pleased with the progress being made against those objectives. Sales, footfall, engagement and brand awareness have continued to build as more customers discover the Harvey Norman offer.
Why expand here, and why now?
The UK remains one of the world’s most important retail markets, particularly in the home, furniture and technology sectors. We believe there’s a strong opportunity for a multi-category retailer with a destination-style format that combines furniture, bedding, appliances and technology under one roof.
Tell us more about how you made the transition from Northern Ireland …
Our two Northern Ireland stores have been trading for over 15 years, so our experience there has allowed us to scale succinctly into the mainland UK market, and we’ve combined experienced Harvey Norman leadership with strong local expertise. Having people on the ground with deep understanding of UK retail, property, operations and consumer behaviour has been extremely important.
At the same time, we’ve been able to draw on decades of operational experience from across the wider Harvey Norman business internationally. I’ve been in the Harvey Norman business for more than 20+years now, initially in Australia before moving over to Ireland, and my furniture GM has been working in furniture retail here in the UK for more than 25 years – this combination has put us in good stead.
Did your experiences in the Republic of Ireland inform your approach to either territory?
The market there definitely does share some similarities with the UK, but Harvey Norman globally takes a view of approaching every region with the same ethos – great customer service in a great retail environment, with the right range and prices for all regional consumer expectations.
What’s different about how you’re approaching the UK?
The UK market is highly competitive and sophisticated, so there’s a strong focus on localisation and brand building. We’re introducing the Harvey Norman model in a way that reflects UK consumer expectations while still retaining the strengths that have made the business successful internationally. It’s a long-term growth strategy rather than a short-term rollout.
How do you utilise the business’ international strengths?
One of our biggest advantages is the scale and experience of the global Harvey Norman business. We benefit from long-standing international supplier relationships, strong buying capability, established systems and operational expertise developed across multiple markets. That allows us to bring recognised global brands, broad product categories and proven retail concepts into the UK market efficiently.
Conversely, which elements do you feel need to be more localised?
On a more general level we focus heavily on building relationships with local businesses and organisations around our stores, because we want each location to feel connected to its community rather than operating as a purely international retailer.
In terms of range, it’s also very important to us to deliver a regional connection, so we have local furniture partners for both our ‘Made in the Midlands’ and ‘Made in Ireland’ ranges. We feel this sets us apart from other national brands.
Read the rest of our interview in July's issue.
