January
Metcash appoints former JB Hi-Fi CEO to run tools franchise
Richard Murray abruptly left Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments in August and was previously chief executive at JB Hi-Fi. He starts at Total Tools this month.
- Updated
- Kylar Loussikian
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
From TVs to tools: retailer Richard Murray’s new gig turns heads
Richard Murray helped grow a tiny JB Hi-Fi into a flagship Australian retailer. His new employer Metcash hopes he can do the same in tools.
- Anthony Macdonald
August 2023
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Inside Solomon Lew’s dramatic shake-up
The shock departure of Premier Investments boss Richard Murray has set off a chain reaction inside the retail empire.
- James Thomson
March 2023
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Solomon Lew: The consumer is somewhat out of control
The retail billionaire says consumers aren’t slowing down, but he’s ready to take advantage of any downturn.
- James Thomson
September 2022
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Premier versus Myer is a one-sided fight
Solomon Lew, who continues to give department store owner Myer Holdings a masterclass in retailing, looks set to share his expertise with the Myer board. And that has got to be a good thing.
- Tony Boyd
March 2022
Premier boss says inflation is like ‘Goldilocks’
Solomon Lew’s Premier Retail unveiled a record interim dividend after a double-digit climb in sales from pyjama brand Peter Alexander.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Even Solomon Lew gets the petrol bowser blues
Billionaire retailer Solomon Lew has experienced his own form of fuel “bill shock” but believes Australian consumers can navigate rising inflation.
- James Thomson
December 2021
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Richard Murray finds Solomon Lew a kindred spirit
It’s the similarities between JB Hi-Fi and Premier Investments that have most struck the latter’s new CEO.
- James Thomson
Morrison and JobKeeper saved Australia: Solomon Lew
The billionaire retailer and his chief executive have thrown their support behind the Morrison government being re-elected, claiming they ‘saved Australia’.
- Patrick Durkin and James Thomson
September 2021
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How Solly Lew beat Amazon
Premier Investments is a case study in the creation of a highly tuned retail business with huge growth opportunities from taking famous local brands to international markets.
- Updated
- Tony Boyd
August 2021
JB Hi-Fi sales soften after bumper year
JB Hi-Fi reported its eighth consecutive year of record profits but, with 55 per cent of stores currently closed, sales in the new financial year to date have taken a hit.
- Updated
- Sue Mitchell
July 2021
JB Hi-Fi profit soars as consumers shift from WFH to entertainment
Demand for headphones, audio visual equipment and gaming consoles fuelled record sales and profits at JB Hi-Fi but lockdowns might dent growth in early 2022.
- Sue Mitchell
May 2021
Lew’s Premier under scrutiny despite repaying $15.6m in JobKeeper
Solomon Lew faces new pressure to repay more than $100 million in JobKeeper subsidies despite agreeing to refund $15.6 million received in the January half.
- Sue Mitchell
April 2021
- Analysis
- Retail
Richard Murray leaves JB Hi-Fi in good hands
The Good Guys acquisition was Richard Murray’s signature deal at JB Hi-Fi and its pandemic performance ‘incredible’, but maintaining the retailer’s unique culture was perhaps his biggest achievement.
- Sue Mitchell
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How Solomon Lew landed Richard Murray
When Mark McInnes announced his departure from Premier Investments, there was only one person Solomon Lew wanted for the job: JB Hi-Fi’s Richard Murray.
- Updated
- James Thomson
February 2021
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What JB Hi-Fi didn’t learn from the virus
JB Hi-Fi boss Richard Murray insists there’s nothing special in how the retailer has soared through the pandemic. But there is.
- Updated
- James Thomson
October 2020
- Exclusive
- Luxury property
Dion Hershan buys JB Hi-Fi boss' Toorak mansion for less than asking price
The Yarra Capital Management MD is understood to have paid below the asking range for Richard Murray's luxury seven-bedroom home in Melbourne's most expensive suburb.
- Michael Bleby
June 2020
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How tape and empty TV boxes helped JB Hi-Fi thrive
What's most impressive about JB Hi-Fi's pandemic performance is its ability to protect its profitability in the face of rising costs.
- James Thomson
May 2020
JB Hi-Fi boss sees return to shopping local
Sales in the third quarter gained strongly in both JB Hi-Fi Australia and The Good Guys as customers geared up for working from home.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz and Simon Evans
February 2020
The (not so) secret to JB Hi-Fi's success
A simple strategy lies behind JB Hi-Fi's remarkable run of profit growth every year bar one since 2003 that has made it the seventh-largest electronics retailer in the world.
- Sue Mitchell