Dicksmiths.com.au

Dick Smith Electronics

Dick Smith Electronics is an Australasian electronics retailer founded in 1968 by Dick Smith. The business started as a small car radio installation busines

s in the Sydney suburb Artarmon and has expanded to employ over than 2,000 people.

After finding that installing two-way radios didn't pay, Dick Smith moved into electronic components and do-it-yourself project kits from around 1970. After touring overseas electronic stores to study modern merchandising methods, he introduced self-serve shopping and produced a mail-order annual catalogue with a substantial data section. To ensure almost every electronic enthusiast in Australia had one of his catalogues, it was included free in the popular electronics magazines such as Electronics Australia and Electronics Today International. This catalogue continues to be produced to this day.

Through the annual catalogue, wacky ads (e.g. the 'Electronic Dick') and publicity stunts (such as towing an "iceberg" from Antarctica to Sydney Harbour), the profile of Dick Smith Electronics grew.

The company profited immensely from the CB radio boom of the 1970s and by the end of the deca

de had stores in all mainland states. Though many CB radio stores closed when interest waned from the early 1980s, Dick Smith Electronics survived thanks to strong sales in other areas. These included its established electronic components and kit lines (thousands of people started with the 'Fun Way' series and worked their way up to assembling Playmaster amplifiers and speakers), Yaesu amateur radio (the company had secured the exclusive dealership) and Uniden-Bearcat scanners.

Also important was the fast-growing personal computer market. The company sold well-known models such as the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore 64. It also sold own-brand models, such as the System 80 which was compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model I, the Dick Smith Cat an Apple II clone, the VZ-200 and VZ-300.

The company was particularly innovative in its product range, especially during the 1970s and 1980s. Some such forays paid off, while others were soon abandoned. Examples of briefly-stocked items in the 1980s included Heathkit electronic kits, satellite TV receiving stations and, foreshadowing near-universal mobile phone ownership, Beeple pagers. More successful was the Dick Smith Wizzard, which earned a cult following amongst computer gamers.

Before telephone equipment was de-regulated in 1984, Australian consumers could only have two different types of telephones in three different colours. DSE was a major source of 'non-type approved' telephone equipment. A broad range of answering machines, cordless and novelty phones were offered; despite the fine print warning that they were not 'type approved', thousands were sold anyway. Soon after, the market was de-regulated so that anyone could buy an approved phone and plug it in.

Dick Smith sold the company to Woolworths in 1982. The company continued to add to its network of small 'main street' stores in suburbs and regional cities across Australia. Today there are about 130 company-owned Dick Smith Electronics stores, with authorised stockists in country areas.

Though the company has almost always stocked items that would appeal to the general non-technical/non-hobbyist consumer, as the years went on these items took up an increasing proportion of floor space. Die-hard enthusiasts often bemoaned that Dick Smith was becoming like Tandy, in some ways a similar business but with a more consumer focus and a small range of over-priced components in bubble-packs.

As it turned out Dick Smith/Woolworths ended up purchasing its arch-rival Tandy in 2001-2. Almost every radio buff owned a 'Realistic' speaker, CB, scanner, or shortwave radio at one time. After rapid growth in the 1970s and 80s Tandy stagnated and suffered management problems at its USA headquarters. With the takeover, some Tandy stores have closed while others have become Dick Smith. Both Dick Smith and Tandy have overlaps in their product range and you will see many DSE items in Tandy outlets.

The late 1990s saw the company establish 'Powerhouse' super-stores in Sydney, Melbourne (and later) Canberra and Brisbane. These were several times bigger than regular stores and contained departments for the main product categories and supermarket-style checkouts near the exit. Powerhouses carried a wider range of products than the smaller stores, especially in the computing, audio-visual and Yaesu amateur radio areas. Installation services were offered at some stores.
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