Harvey Norman is a large Australian-based, multi-national retailer of furniture, bedding, computers, communications, and consumer electrical products. It mainly operates as a franchise, with the main brand and all company-operated stores owned by ASX-listed Harvey Norman Holdings Limited. There are 280 company-owned and franchised stores in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South-East Asia operating under the Harvey Norman, Domayne, and Joyce Mayne brands in Australia, and under the Harvey Norman brand overseas.
Gerry Harvey and Ian Norman opened their first store in 1961, which specialized in electrical goods and appliances. Harvey and Norman had first met when both were working as door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen. The store's success prompted Harvey and Norman to expand the business and conduct talks with retailer Keith Lord, who sought to expand his own retail group. They could not settle on a name for the new business, with Harvey and Lord reluctant to take on the other's name. They eventually decided to retain Norman's name and that of its first store manager, Peter Ross. This spawned the retail chain, Norman Ross. Norman Ross went into liquidation in 1992. In October 1982, Harvey and Norman purchased a new shopping center in the outer Sydney suburb of Auburn and opened the first Harvey Norman store.
