By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY: Jaycar Electronics opened its new flagship showroom store three days ahead of schedule on May 9 at the company’s new Rydalmere head office location, and it plans to open more stores later this year.
The 270 sqm store at 320 Victoria Road Rydalmere in Sydney has a showroom with interactive displays. The store is attached to a warehouse that facilitates the supply of bulk orders and the facility provides off-street customer parking.
Jaycar Electronics has stores across Australia and New Zealand and according to the company’s marketing director, Toni Martin, the retail organisation is planning further growth and expansion.
“We’re looking at opening a further six to 10 stores by the end of the year,” Martin told Current.com.au.
“In the past five years we’ve grown from around 22 stores to just over 50 now in Australia and New Zealand.”
All Jaycar Electronics stores are company owned, there are no plans for the company to open a franchise model. And while the company retails a range of finished consumer electronics products, the company’s strategy is to continue differentiating itself as a destination store for components and do-it-yourself projects.
“We’re a destination retailer and we sell electronics components all the way through to completed items, but we’ve got a huge range of do it yourself items,” said Martin.
“We don’t plan to change our strategy. Part of our differentiation is as a destination retailer. The other part is that we have really good technical staff because our product range lends itself to that. We have the right guys and girls in the stories who are able to find the right components to fix the customer’s needs.”
Martin cited alternative energy, solar and wind generation and power generation products for people traveling around Australia, as growth categories for the company.
The Rydalmere Store will be managed by David Burns who has 10 years electronics industry experience and has worked at Jaycar Electronics for the past two years.
“Working for Jaycar Electronics enables us to interact with customers and pass on our own knowledge and ideas,” Burns said.
“It is satisfying to help individual’s complete do-it-yourself projects themselves and then see the results.”
Burns will manage a team of approximately 10 staff.