Early Life
Gerry Harvey was born on September 18, 1939, in Springwood, New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in rural New South Wales and attended school at Bathurst and Katoomba. At the age of 17, he moved to Sydney to attend university, but dropped out after a couple of years.
Rise to Success
Harvey's career started in sales, selling vacuum cleaners and fridges door-to-door for Goodwins of Newtown. He met Ian Norman, with whom he co-founded the first retail store in 1961 named Norman Ross, specializing in electrical goods and appliances. By 1979, the chain had expanded to 42 stores with annual sales of A$240 million. After selling Norman Ross, Harvey, along with Ian Norman, established Harvey Norman in 1982. The first store was in Auburn, Sydney. The company went public in 1987. Harvey Norman adopted the superstore format in the early 1990s, and entered the computer and furniture markets, which were successful.
Key Business Strategies
Harvey Norman's success stems from its diverse product range, expanding into furniture, bedding, computers, and homeware. They embraced e-commerce, launching online stores in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The company expanded to various countries including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Slovenia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Croatia.
Philanthropy
Gerry Harvey is known to be involved in the horse racing industry and owns Baramul Stud. Harvey has also expressed his view on giving charity to the homeless. Information on specific amounts of philanthropy could not be found.
