Harvey Norman
Introduction
Harvey Norman is a leading Australian multinational retailer with 300 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Ireland. When the furniture, technology and home appliance company looked to enter the England, Scotland and Wales market, it chose the West Midlands.
Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield offered access to local talent, a well-connected central location, lower operating costs than London and a substantial customer base.
The West Midlands Growth Company helped identify the town as the ideal fit for Harvey Norman’s expansion.
The Challenge
Large-format and lifestyle shops require considerable upfront investment, making the choice of location critical to achieving Harvey Norman’s ambitions. The wrong choice could spell significant loss.
Accordingly, Harvey Norman takes a long-term approach to new destinations, raising the stakes of an already rigorous search and due diligence process. To make the right decision, the company needed a partner with detailed knowledge of the UK market and a clear understanding of the opportunities available across the West Midlands.
The Solution
2023 marked the implementation of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, removing unnecessary barriers to the UK market for Australian businesses and strengthening trade ties between the two countries. This development created a timely opportunity for Harvey Norman to embark on the next phase of its global expansion strategy by making a wave of further investments across the UK, building on its two existing stores in Northern Ireland.
The Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on 31 May 2023, is providing new opportunities to expand trade and investment by lowering barriers to trade and encouraging new investment.
Harvey Norman had already scoped the West Midlands as a possible investment location in the UK marketplace, attracted by the region’s strong economy, unparalleled connectivity, diversity of people, skilled talent pool and impressive consumer retail spending.
With its exceptional connectivity and a population around the same size as New Zealand – where we have 42 stores – it’s clear that the West Midlands represents a significant growth opportunity for Harvey Norman.
To help Harvey Norman make the most of this opportunity and optimise its West Midlands expansion strategy, executives worked with the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC). The WMGC team provided specialist regional expertise and connections, helping the retailer to explore possible investment sites and benefit from on-the-ground support for its growth plans. WMGC acted as an extension of the Harvey Norman team, supporting across a range of areas, including familiarisation visits to improve the retailer’s knowledge of the region, and property searches in support of the business’ requirements for a new store.
WMGC also facilitated valuable introductions that supported Harvey Norman’s recruitment drive and provided the business with specialist consultancy across a number of areas, including trading in the England marketplace for the first time. With WMGC’s support, Harvey Norman landed on Dudley’s Merry Hill shopping centre as the location for its flagship England store.
To support its ambitious UK expansion plans, Harvey Norman also required a West Midlands hub for its rapidly growing team. Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Royal Sutton Coldfield was identified as the ideal destination for its UK headquarters and latest store. The location is bolstered by Birmingham’s exceptional connectivity and high-grade retail space.
From the start of their partnership, WMGC provided Harvey Norman with specialist PR consultancy to amplify its investments and raise its profile in the UK retail, property and regional marketplace, including an interview with the retailer’s CEO, Katie Page, at national publication The Times.
The Impact
Harvey Norman’s expansion into the English market has been a success. It is a major milestone on its international growth trajectory.
Since its launch in October 2024, the Merry Hill store has performed strongly, tapping into the large population of shoppers across the West Midlands.
Through partnerships facilitated by WMGC with Dudley Council and local recruiters, Harvey Norman has grown its stores and head office teams by over 100 staff, drawing on the West Midlands’ deep population and talent pool.
Harvey Norman’s Merry Hill store delivered early sales traction in its first year, generating A$14.09 million in sales after launching in October 2024, which the company viewed as “a solid start in a new market” as its brand development and customer traction continued to develop.
Why the West Midlands
The birthplace of global retail brands such as Gymshark, the West Midlands’ high-grade, affordable real estate, strong consumer spending and exceptional national and international connectivity make it a prime location for ambitious international retailers looking to accelerate their expansion plans.
With 4.4 million people, the largest population of any UK city region, and two QS top 100 universities ranked joint 68th globally, the West Midlands offers the scale major companies need: a deep customer base, world-class graduate talent, and the expertise to support ambitious growth.
The West Midlands Growth Company helped Harvey Norman identify locations and recruitment opportunities that draw on the region’s talent pool and strong transport connectivity.
WMGC continues to work with Harvey Norman through day-to-day support, advice and problem-solving.
Harvey Norman’s continued expansion reflects something we’re seeing daily at the West Midlands Growth Company – global brands recognising the region as a place where they can succeed, unlock growth and collaborate with the local community and business ecosystem. It’s been a privilege to work closely with the team, supporting their ambitions and helping to create opportunities that deliver real, tangible impact for the West Midlands.