Founded with the aim of delighting customers and doing good, The Good Guys started its journey as Ian Muir’s Radio and Electrical Centre in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1950s. Before becoming The Good Guys in 1998 — and eventually an Australian household name — the company made several small acquisitions, which built a strong foundation for national expansion.
Selling an extensive range of recognisable brands, The Good Guys stocks products across the key categories of fridges and freezers, kitchen appliances, kitchenware and cooking, laundry, vacuums, coffee machines, personal care, heating and air conditioning, TVs, computers, tablets, and other technology products.
The Good Guys’ reputation is built on its promise to customers that they will pay the lowest prices. In November last year, The Good Guys launched its new brand promise: ‘PAY LESS, PAY LESS’. CEO Michael Ford says this promise “is intended to help customers trust that they will always pay less: before they buy and after they buy.”
“Our online bargain buys are the best Australian prices online and they are checked every morning. Our price beat promise means that we will beat a major competitors advertised price if they are in stock on the day of the enquiry. Our 30-day price guarantee provides customers with assurance that they always get the best price when shopping at The Good Guys, and is easily claimable online,” he says.
A fully connected retail experience
In driving business forward, The Good Guys, has kept pace with the rapid transformation and change of the retail industry.
“Essentially we have had to throw out the old rule book and re-write it with the customer of the future very much in mind. Many customers have not known a world without instant access to information through a mobile device,” says Ford.
In the eleven years I have been CEO of The Good Guys, I have seen our customers dramatically change the way they purchase household goods. The fast-evolving digital marketplace has really given rise to a digitally-empowered consumer, who has more choice — and ultimately more control — than ever before.
Doing good is integral to being a ‘Good Guy’
This year, The Good Guys opened its 101st store, which is a great success in itself. But at the same time, it helped Orange Sky Laundry to expand its laundry for the homeless service across Australia, Jamie’s Ministry of Food Australia to empower and encourage people to make positive changes for better nutrition through cooking classes, and Youth Projects to launch a state-of-the-art facility to address the needs of Melbourne’s growing homeless population.
“Doing good in the communities in which we operate is an important part of what it means to be a Good Guy,” says Ford.
Orange Sky Laundry, Ministry of Food Australia and Youth Projects are just a few of many community projects the company lends a hand to. In 2006, The Good Guys’ Local Giving Program was introduced, which sees a percentage of every transaction donated to local community partners. Since the Local Giving Program started, The Good Guys has donated more than $9 million to more than 200 local charities.
The Good Guys key facts:
- Company name: The Good Guys
- CEO: Michael Ford
- Headquarter: Melbourne, Australia
- Store Locator
- Number of employees: 4,000
- Annual turnover: Approx. $2 billion
- Industry: Retail & Wholesale