By Sarah Falson
CHULLORA, NSW: Sales revenue from Woolworths’ Dick Smith Electronics and Dick Smith Powerhouse stores for the third-quarter period to 1 April has grown 10.5 per cent on last year due to increased computer sales generated from Vista.
The entire Woolworths group’s revenue was up 8.8 per cent on the same period last year, with Dick Smith and Big W among the top-four highest money-generating departments along with the group’s Hotel business and General Merchandise business.
In Australia and New Zealand, Dick Smith sales were up 10.5 per cent, and the consumer electronics company’s general manager, Alvin Ng, said the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system along with car products and televisions were among the top-selling items for the period.
“The launch of Microsoft Vista on January 30th helped drive strong demand for computers and associated peripherals,” said Ng.
The retailer is Microsoft’s key channel partner for Vista, with Ng representing the brand at the Vista launch in Sydney in January.
“We continue to experience strong growth in in-car navigation units and flat panel televisions.”
Nine new Dick Smith Electronics stores opened during the nine months, including three Dick Smith PowerHouse outlets, raising the total Dick Smith store count to 387 in Australia.