Exclusive by Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY: The JB Hi-Fi owned Clive Anthonys brand will receive more attention, in terms of opportunity and expansion, once the economy recovers from the global financial crisis. At the moment, JB Hi-Fi CEO Richard Uechtritz is concentrating on the JB brand, but his attention will shift once conditions improve and the JB expansions are complete.

Speaking to Current.com.au, Uechtritz said it was good to have Clive Anthonys in the JB Hi-Fi portfolio, and that an aggressive pursuit of growth under this brand name was planned.

“It’s a nice little business sitting there, and when JB runs out of opportunity, and that’s many years to come, we’ve got another electrical…retail model, to pursue more aggressively,” said Uechtritz.

Uechtritz refused to say when exactly such an exploration of Clive Anthonys business opportunities would occur, though he did hint it was dependent on the economy improving.

“It’s watch this space because there’s a lot of rationalisation going on and will go on as long as the economy stays weak, and some people are not doing as well as others.”

When asked if he has sympathy for those retailers not doing as well as the runaway JB Hi-Fi, Uechtritz was pragmatic.

“I have sympathy for them personally. I don’t have sympathy for them as a competitor because obviously… I’m payed to give a return to our shareholders, not to their shareholders.”

There are currently 11 Clive Anthonys stores in Australia: seven in Queensland, two in New South Wales and one each in Victorian and the ACT.