Shane Leaney replaces Richard Luce on Narta board

By James Wells

SYDNEY: Videopro managing director, Shane Leaney, has been appointed to the board of the $2.5 billion Narta group replacing Richard Luce – the owner of Bowral-based electrical store L’lectrec – who has stepped down after four years as a director.

Leaney operates four VideoPro stores in Queensland located at Carindale, Fortitude Valley and Macgregor as well as the Videopro business centre at Fortitude Valley and also operates three Sony Central stores in Queensland at Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sony Clearance Centre at Brisbane Airport and two Sony Central stores in Melbourne at Chapel Street Prahran and Melbourne CBD.

“Shane is a value-added retailer and the way in which he operates his business is very much in line with how we operate the group,” Narta managing director, Kay Spencer, told Current.com.au.

“Shane has very strong relationships with suppliers and is respected in the way he lays out his stores and goes to market,” Spencer said.

“We thank Richard for his efforts and insights particularly with his strong supplier background which brought a good balance to the board,” she said.

“I am very honoured to be a director of Narta. It is undoubtedly the number one buying group in Australia,” Leaney told Current.com.au.

Leaney said that despite adding new members to the group this year including 2nds World in Sydney, Murray Neck Electrical in Alice Springs, Electrical Discounters in South Australia, Your Electrical Store in Wodonga and Lavington, Whitfords Electrical in Sydney and Morrison’s Electrical Megastore in Coffs Harbour, there are unlikely to be a large number of new members in the near future.

“We had six new members introduced at the Annual General Meeting in Sydney yesterday and we now have probably 30 of the best retailers in their own right that make up the group. From three public companies down to the smaller dealers – it is a group of strong businesses which are also run by very good people,” he said.

“We will only take on strategic members that can add something to the Narta group. We will not be adding members on mass. We could do what Harveys is doing and take Retravision dealers in New South Wales, but it is not in the best interests for the group,” he said.

Leaney joins the other members of the Narta board including chairman John Wipfli from Warehouse Sales, deputy chairman Clive (Anthony) Savage from Clive Anthonys and directors Lionel Lee from Bing Lee and Peter Walker from Radio Rentals.