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Dick Smith Electronics is an Australasian electronics retailer founded in 1968 by Dick Smith. The business started as a small car radio installation business in the Sydney suburb Artarmon and has expanded to employ over than 2,000 people. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOV Wikipedia policy is that all articles should be written from a neutral point of view. ... Shortcut: WP:RULES Wikipedia is a collaborative project and its founders and contributors have a common goal: Wikipedia has some policies and guidelines that help us to work toward that common goal. ... Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chullora is a residential suburb in the south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4. ... Dick Smith AO (born Richard Harold Smith on 18 March 1944 , is an Australian businessman and aviator. ... Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... The tower of a personal computer. ... A stilt-walker entertaining shoppers at a shopping centre in Swindon, England Entertainment is an event, performance, or activity designed to give pleasure or relaxation to an audience (although, for example, in the case of a computer game the audience may be only one person). ... Drawing of a self-service store. ... A kit of Electrical_components used to build a working prototype - normally found in hobbies shops. ... A semiconductor is a material that is an insulator at very low temperature, but which has a sizable electrical conductivity at room temperature. ... An electrical enclosure is a cabinet for electrical equipment to protect the contents from the environment, mount switches, knobs and displays and to prevent electrical shock. ... A power supply unit (sometimes abbreviated power supply or PSU) is a device that supplies electrical power to a device or group of devices. ... Back to Electronics A Tektronix model 475A portable analogue oscilloscope Electronic test equipment (sometimes called testgear) is used to create stimulus signals and capture responses from electronic Devices Under Test (DUTs). ... A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool or device is a piece of equipment which typically provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task, or provides an ability that is not naturally available to the user of a tool. ... It has been suggested that In car entertainment be merged into this article or section. ... The tower of a personal computer. ... Lighting includes both artificial light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from daylight. ... [1]#redirect Book ... In biology, antenna (plural: antennae) refers to the sensing organs of several arthropods. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dick Smith AO (born Richard Harold Smith on 18 March 1944 , is an Australian businessman and aviator. ... Radio transmition diagram and electromagnetic waves For other uses see: radio (disambiguation) Radio is a technology that allows the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of light. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4. ... Artarmon is a locality of Lower Northern Sydney, Australia and is located within the City of Willoughby. ...

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. Dick Smith AO (born Richard Harold Smith on 18 March 1944 , is an Australian businessman and aviator. ... A coffee mug bearing the logo of a company or organization is a common example of product merchandising. ...

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 decade 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. Video Genie was the name given to a series of computers produced by Hong Kong-based manufacturer EACA during the early 1980s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Apple II was one of the most popular personal computers of the 1980s. ... The VTech Laser 200 was an early 8-bit home microcomputer from 1983, also sold as the Salora Fellow (mainly in Scandinavia, particularly Finland), the Texet TX8000 (in the United Kingdom) and the Dick Smith VZ 200 (in Australia and New Zealand). ... The VTech Laser 200 was an early 8-bit home microcomputer from 1983, also sold as the Salora Fellow (mainly in Scandinavia, particularly Finland), the Texet TX8000 (in the United Kingdom) and the Dick Smith VZ 200 (in Australia and New Zealand). ...

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. Satellite television is television delivered by way of orbiting communications satellites located 37,000 km (22,300 miles) above the earths surface. ... A pager is an electronic device used to contact people via a Paging (telecommunications) network. ... The Video Technology CreatiVision was a hybrid computer and video game console introduced by VTech in 1981. ...

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. For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ...

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. Consumers refers to individuals or households that purchase and use goods and services generated within the economy. ...

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.

Since 2002-2003 the Powerhouse concept has changed to appeal to a broader consumer market and less to enthusiasts who were the company's traditional bread and butter. Component ranges shrunk and general electronics books ceased to be stocked. The Yaesu dealership was relinquished, ending a 27-year partnership. Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... A partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business undertaking in which all have invested. ...

Kits were packed up and transferred to the smaller stores, which still devote a corner to enthusiast electronics. The main benefit of these smaller stores is their number; while most enthusiasts prefer rivals such as Jaycar and Altronics these rivals have far fewer outlets than Dick Smith so are less convenient. Replacing the kits, books and radios are aisles of domestic products such as kettles, coffeemakers, toasters and frypans. Although Powerhouse stores still stock small components, tools, leads and connectors, their main emphasis is the mass markets of Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi and Retravision rather than the niche markets of Jaycar, Altronics or Radio Parts.

It must be said that the shift in focus of the whole company away from practical electronics is a consequence of two factors. The first is the declining enthusiast market: with the advent of cheap pre-assembled electronics from Asia, and the trend of many technically-inclined people turning to software and gaming rather than hardware construction, kitbuilding has diminished since its heyday in the 1970s and 80s — when (at one point) it supported no less than four commercial magazines. Second, there are the aspirations of its owner, for whom gross turnover and profit are king. No matter how "good" the company is in terms of supporting enthusiasts, high turnovers cannot be sustained from a niche market. Hence the push to appeal to 20 million Australians as opposed to 200,000 electronics enthusiasts, or less than 20,000 radio amateurs. Though some have regretted these changes, they seem to have had the desired effect, with Dick Smith and Powerhouse major contributors to the health of the Woolworths group.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, Dick Smith Electronics has 64 shops nationwide^[1] including the "Power House" stores in Auckland's Sylvia Park, Manukau City and Hamilton. Its e-commerce website uses a site search engine provided to them by SLI Systems, that learns from what the users search. Sylvia Park is a large commercial property development and shopping mall in the Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Mount Wellington. ... Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. ... Google search is the worlds most popular search engine. ... SLI Systems is an internet company specializing in vertical e-commerce search engines which learns from the users searches. ...

United States

Cover of first US catalog

In 1985 the first US branch was opened at 390 Convention Way, Redwood City. The warehouse served as the main office, mail order center, kit assembly area and retail store. Additional stores were opened in Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Redwood City is the county seat of San Mateo County, California. ...

• Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
• Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose
• Los Angeles

Within a few years the US operation was sold. The five key executives who launched the US operation were Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northern California, in the United States. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

• Ike Bain, President and CEO
• David Milson, VP Marketing
• Steve Hawkins, VP Sales
• Gary Kennedy, VP Purchasing
• Tony Di Bona, Chief Financial Officer

See also

• Jaycar
• Tandy (Australia)
• Woolworths Limited

Jaycar is an Australian and New Zealand electronics retailer dealing in electronic components for the electronics enthusiast. ... Tandy is an electronics retailer in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited External links Tandy - Official Site Category: ... Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. ...

External links

• Official Website (Australia)
  
• Official Website (New Zealand)