Australian retail giant Harvey Norman has opened its latest store in the UK in a new foray overseas.
The store at the Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands region of England covers more than 5000 square metres, and is 15km from the UK’s third-largest city Birmingham.
It is modelled on Harvey Norman outlets in Australia and sells appliances, technology, furniture and beds.
Harvey Norman already has two stores in Northern Ireland.
The company’s UK managing director Lachlan Roach told the UK Retail Gazette it had been eyeing a presence in England for some time.
“With over 300 stores in eight countries across the globe, it will be no surprise that we have been wanting to make our entrance to the English market for a while.
“The opportunity we had to open in a key national destination like Merry Hill was not one to miss, and it makes for the perfect home for our flagship location.
“We’re a customer-centric brand, and Merry Hill has a vibrant community, so we are thrilled to bring both our extensive range of lifestyle, technology, and entertainment products and the exceptional service that Harvey Norman is renowned for worldwide.”
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The UK has a population of nearly 67 million, with 3 million people living in the West Midlands.
But the country’s economy has been sluggish in recent years as it battled high inflation and interest rate rises.
The record of major Australian retailers attempting to make a success in the UK is a mixed one.
In 2017, hardware giant Bunnings began an ill-fated launch there when its parent company, Wesfarmers, bought out UK homewares chain Homebase.
But it ended after a series of misjudgments, resulting in a $1 billion write-down.