[Waverley ARS] i think dick smith is starting to wind down on kits

[Bruce]

Hi Daniel!

 

Yep, 'Smithworths'has certainly changed!

They have been slowly moving out of electronics and into the mass-market
consumer products over the last few years.

 

Dick Smith started in 1968. 

He sold the company to Woolworths in 1982.

Dick Smith/Woolworths bought Tandy in 2001.

'Powerhouse' super-stores opened in the late '90s

Since 2002-2003 the Powerhouse target has been to a broader consumer market
and less to amateurs/electronics hobbyists. 

'Dick Smith' dropped their Yaesu dealership after 27 yrs in early 2000's.

 

Kits were packed up and transferred to the smaller stores, which still
devote a corner to enthusiast electronics.

Although Powerhouse stores still stock small components, tools, leads and
connectors, their main emphasis is the mass markets of Harvey Norman, JB Hi
Fi and Retravision rather than the niche markets of Jaycar, Altronics or
Radio Parts.

The smaller stores seem to have followed the Powerhouse formula too.

 

It must be said that the shift in focus of the whole company away from
practical electronics is a consequence of two factors. The first is the
declining enthusiast market: with the advent of cheap pre-assembled
electronics from Asia, and the trend of many technically-inclined people
turning to software and gaming rather than hardware construction,
kitbuilding has diminished since its heyday in the 1970s and 80s - when (at
one point) it supported no less than four commercial magazines. Second,
there are the aspirations of its owner, for whom gross turnover and profit
are king. No matter how "good" the company is in terms of supporting
enthusiasts, high turnovers cannot be sustained from a niche market. Hence
the push to appeal to 20 million Australians as opposed to 200,000
electronics enthusiasts, or less than 20,000 radio amateurs. Though some
have regretted these changes, they seem to have had the desired effect, with
Dick Smith and Powerhouse major contributors to the health of the Woolworths
group.

 

(edited from wikipedia & other places)

 

Bruce

vk2jai

 

  _____  

From: members-bounces at us.cactii.net [mailto:members-bounces at us.cactii.net]
On Behalf Of Daniel Walters
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 2:00 AM
To: W.A.R.S. Members List
Subject: [Waverley ARS] i think dick smith is starting to wind down on kits

 

Hi all,


looking at the dick smith website it looks like that dick smith are trying
to clear all there kits it also looks like they are starting to move out of
electronics. i have herd that from rumours is that true? 

-- 
73

Daniel Walters
VK2FDGW

Web: www.qrz.com/vk2fdgw
Ftp : ftp://vk2fdgw.myftp.org

mobile: 0423173300 

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