Myer CEO: technology has a sell-by date like fresh food

By James Wells

Myer CEO Richard Umbers has made a comparison between selling technology and fresh food when it comes to retailing knowledge and experience.

“Technology can be hard to get exactly right,” Umbers told Appliance Retailer in an interview in Sydney last month.

“I come from a supermarket world and I think of it as fresh food. It has got a sell-by date and you have to be much sharper with your inventory. You have to have a knowledge base that goes beyond what historically retail has invested in. You have to be very good to be a good technology reseller. We already have a significant technology business and we are a major reseller of Apple products and it has a real affinity with our customers as well, and it’s exciting to think how this might evolve over time. It is still a tough industry to be in.