The location was Essendon in Victoria and the year was 1952 when Ian Muir began retailing electrical appliances under the brand name Mighty Muir. By 1992 Muir owned 14 stores across Victoria and Queensland and on Wednesday September 29, 63 years later the company has opened the doors of its 100th Australian store in North Lakes, Queensland.
In 1992 Ian and his son Andrew (now executive chairman) also renamed the chain The Good Guys, and embarked on a strong advertising campaign in 1998 which resulted in increased sales, driving rapid expansion of stores across the country. By 2009, the chain had grown to 89 stores across Australia.
The Good Guys store network now consists of 29 stores in New South Wales, 26 in Victoria, 21 in Queensland, 14 in Western Australia, 5 in South Australia, 3 in ACT and 1 each in Northern Territory and Tasmania.
North Lakes opening significant
In a retail environment which can sometime be ruthless, The Good Guys CEO, Michael Ford, said the opening of the 100th store was a significant milestone for the business. He said that from humble beginnings, the retailer had become a household name and one of Australia’s leading retail brands.
He believes that the new North Lakes store “is a credit to our history, a culmination of a simple but customer friendly environment.” He pointed to the store layout and merchandise presentation as a salient feature, representing the progress The Good Guys had made over the past 63 years.
“We remain dedicated to providing our customers with the best range of electrical appliances at the most competitive prices, when and where they want to shop and a balanced and integrated offering online coupled with our now 100 physical stores ensures The Good Guys is able to service customers 24/7 when and how they like,” Ford said.
Continued innovation
Ford added that The Good Guys will continue to innovate and invest in both its store network and online channels in order to maintain its market leadership position.
“Over the past few years the company has rationalised store locations and standardised merchandise presentation in-store to provide customers with consistency when shopping at The Good Guys”.
“We will continue to invest and innovate in the way we go to market and in how our stores are presented; in our interactions with customers; and in how we manage our business processes and operations in order to anticipate the changing needs of consumers,” he said.
This story first appeared in Appliance Retailer.