# Anyone think "Harvey Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?



## starlite68 (15 Jul 2009)

anyone think "havery normans" will be the next victim of this recession?


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## Purple (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*

They said that they have invested too much to pull out but the whole operation in Ireland has been a disaster.


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## galleyslave (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*

and when items are twice the uk price no wonder...


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## Purple (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*



galleyslave said:


> and when items are twice the uk price no wonder...


 Costs are much higher here as well.


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## galleyslave (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*

I doubt costs are twice as high


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## Purple (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*



galleyslave said:


> I doubt costs are twice as high



By the time a multiplier is applied to each layer of cost (in order to maintain margin) I would not be surprised if the selling price doubled.


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## galleyslave (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: harvey normans*

perhaps.. and I suspect also there's an extra layer of distribution here.. i.e. from here to uk, from uk to manufacturer...


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## ajapale (15 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

Time to "Go, Harvey, Go!"


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## Romulan (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

Is it irrational to completely dislike Harvey's, Dixons & Curry's with no specific reason?


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## Purple (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



Romulan said:


> Is it irrational to completely dislike Harvey's, Dixons & Curry's with no specific reason?


 I don't like Tesco, I find the whole brand too English. They make no effort to go native.


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## Romulan (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

True but at least there is Irish staff in Tesco's but why should I shop in an English chain that seems to employ only English staff.

Mrs Romulan has also noted that Tesco's are dropping loads of Irish goods.

Are we insane or what?


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## csirl (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



Purple said:


> I don't like Tesco, I find the whole brand too English. They make no effort to go native.


 
Strange, even though I know they are UK based, I've never seen Tesco as a very English brand - due to it originally being Quinsworth. One day the stores were Quinsworth, next day they were Tesco. Didnt seem to be any difference - same shops, same staff, same products. Sometimes I still even call it Quinsworth by mistake!

Now, the original Tesco that was around in 70s/80s, long before the Quinsworth takeover, was very British - in an M&S sort of way. These became mainly Supervalus?

I think Ikea will wipe out Harvey Norman in Dublin.


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## terrontress (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



csirl said:


> I think Ikea will wipe out Harvey Norman in Dublin.


 
Yes, definitely. 

We bought a bed in Harvey Norman when we bought our apartment, prior to the opening of Ikea in Belfast.

We took the ferry to Holyhead and drove to the Ikea in Warrington and completely filled the car up to the brim with cabinets and the like.

We then went back to Harvey Norman a while later and just couldn't believe the difference in the price of what we had bought in Ikea and the quality was comparable.

Interestingly though, since Ikea in Belfast has opened, Harvey Norman has opened beside them so they must not think of it as such a threat.


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## Sylvester3 (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



terrontress said:


> Interestingly though, since Ikea in Belfast has opened, Harvey Norman has opened beside them so they must not think of it as such a threat.



I went in there the last time I went to IKEA. It was a silent as the grave.


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## FTB1975 (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

I for one hope so!!! If I have another "WOW" roared at me while I'm relaxing in front of the tv I won't be resonsible for my actions!


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## AgathaC (16 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



FTB1975 said:


> I for one hope so!!! If I have another "WOW" roared at me while I'm relaxing in front of the tv I won't be resonsible for my actions!


 +1. The radio ads are so annoying. Time to 'go harvey go' as another poster has suggested.


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## Tinker Bell (17 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

A few months ago, one of it's head international people said that they were hoping to do well during the recession here. People spending more money on home entertainment, flasher fridges etc - to combat the cost of eating out. Perhaps if they dropped the terrifyingly irritating ad I might be tempted to go there.


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## Graham_07 (17 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



Tinker Bell said:


> . Perhaps if they dropped the terrifyingly irritating ad I might be tempted to go there.


 
Ditch the Aussie accents , go for a Dingle, West Kerry one and we'd be flying.


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## lightswitch (18 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

I have been thinking this for ages.  I would still shop there but would only use a credit card at this stage unless I was taking the item away with me.  

They are currently advertising everywhere, the spend must be at least in excess of 500k per month which is a lot of margin to make up on top of other costs.

The only down side to Ikea coming is that they will have a negitave impact on existing retail stores who are already struggling just to remain open.


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## Tinker Bell (18 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



Graham_07 said:


> Ditch the Aussie accents , go for a Dingle, West Kerry one and we'd be flying.


You mean Micheal O Muiraheartaigh type accent? Bravo (as Gaeilge) Graham


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## schmile (20 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

How about a review of the costs. Last week iLife08 from them cost €80 while Llife 09 costs €79 direct from apple. And hearing wow harvey wow on the radio at 715am makes me resent them even more. 

Its time for them to go.


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## FTB1975 (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

Looks like it's only a matter of time:

[broken link removed]


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## csirl (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

Do these guys ever do any market research or talk to potential customers?

Do they not realise that having the most irritating advert in the world projects a very negative image of the company which ultimately translates into a drop in sales?

Do they not realise that having adverts which smack of desperation give the public the impression that this is a company on the rocks so it is too risky to order goods from them?


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## fobs (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



csirl said:


> Do these guys ever do any market research or talk to potential customers?
> 
> Do they not realise that having the most irritating advert in the world projects a very negative image of the company which ultimately translates into a drop in sales?
> 
> Do they not realise that having adverts which smack of desperation give the public the impression that this is a company on the rocks so it is too risky to order goods from them?


 
Exactly! I hate the "we will haggle" line in their ads. This suggests they have overpriced their goods in order to give _some customers _who shout loudest a discount while overcharging the rest! Just bring down your prices and more people will shop there.


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## dewdrop (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

While the ads are terrible i must say that in the past i would not dream of asking for anything off the price. I feel harvey has now made it acceptable to haggle and today i was buying a kettle for 59.90 euro and when pleaded with my dire financial position i was given it for 50euro. So for that thanks to harvey!!


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## Graham_07 (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*

I've just had a client in and the subject of HN came up and she said that from the beginning the ads irritated her so much she would never go in there, purely for that reason. The present WOW ad has her almost at boiling point grating like fingernails on a blackboard.  I guess the market researchers should ask more people before running these things.


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## Graham_07 (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



dewdrop said:


> While the ads are terrible i must say that in the past i would not dream of asking for anything off the price. I feel harvey has now made it acceptable to haggle and today i was buying a kettle for 59.90 euro and when pleaded with my dire financial position i was given it for 50euro. So for that thanks to harvey!!


 
Not to rain on your parade but any chance that item is available for less than €50 elsewhere ? I've been there a few times and always found them dear n relation to other electrical outlets.


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## ashambles (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



> Do these guys ever do any market research


Ireland is their market research as far as I can remember, there intention was to see how they can break into the UK market. It seems they're big and brash enough to take this expensive option.

Find it handy as a place to browse especially for cheaper electronics or for the stuff that's priced identically everywhere.  Their range is pretty good.
More expensive stuff I'll research and probably buy online anyway. 

Furniture wise their stuff looks a little dated, I'd guess they do better on the electrical side.


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## AgathaC (21 Jul 2009)

*Re: Anyone think "Havery Norman" will be the next victim of this recession?*



Graham_07 said:


> I've just had a client in and the subject of HN came up and she said that from the beginning the ads irritated her so much she would never go in there, purely for that reason. The present WOW ad has her almost at boiling point grating like fingernails on a blackboard. I guess the market researchers should ask more people before running these things.


 The ads grate on me so much-I sometimes switch off the radio when I hear the ad starting.


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## boaber (21 Jul 2009)

And have you seen their website, what a waste of space

http://www.harveynorman.ie

New catalogue will be available on it soon though - apparently


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