Harris Scarfe is an Australian retailer that sells bed linen, kitchenware, homewares, electrical appliances and apparel. It was founded in 1849 in Adelaide, South Australia and has more than 50 stores nationally.
In 2015, ownership of Harris Scarfe was transferred to Steinhoff Asia Pacific, an international retail and manufacturing conglomerate listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange. In December 2017, Steinhoff’s was accused of overstating its profits and the share price dropped by 90% The company then entered a period of intense asset sell off, which resulted in Harris Scarfe being sold to Allegro private equity group in December 2019. Shortly after, Allegro put Harris Scarfe and its related entities into administration. Spotlight Group then bought the business out of administration in April 2020.
History
Early history
Harris Scarfe traces its history to 10 February 1849, when George Peter Harris and John C. Lanyon, arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on the ship Candahar and established a hardware and ironmongery business on Hindley Street. Lanyon left the partnership on 22 February 1855 and returned to London, where he opened a buying house for Geo. P. Harris and other businesses in South Australia. Additional partners, George Scarfe and Richard Smith, joined the business in 1866 and the business name "Geo. P. Harris, Scarfe & Co." was adopted in December that year. They had premises on the east side of Gawler Place, midway between Rundle and Grenfell streets, where Allan's building now stands (58-60 Gawler Place). A new four-storey building, on a freehold property between Rundle and Grenfell streets, was erected behind their old (leased) property in 1929.
Harris Scarfe grew to become a major supplier of a broad range of household, agricultural and industrial items. Besides conducting its retailing businesses, Harris Scarfe manufactured leather goods, including saddlery and luggage, as part of a wholesaling operation. Notably, during World War II, when the Federal Government enforced price controls, it used the Harris Scarfe catalogue as the price guide.
Rainbow Cycles
Rainbow bicycles, mostly made in South Australia by Harris Scarfe, were sold in their stores in both South Australia and, through a partnership with Sandovers, in Western Australia. They were first marketed in Western Australian stores in 1934. In 1936 sponsored rider Billy Read crossed Australia on a Rainbow, and in the 1940s and 1950s Sandovers were an enthusiastic sponsor of local road and track cyclists. Most of the bikes were low priced utility models, however sponsored riders in Perth were sent to Aussie Cycles by the Rainbow coach Ossie Prowse, where they would be measured for custom built Aussie bikes finished with Rainbow branding.
1970s–1980s
In 1971, Baradeen Quest, a subsidiary of Investment & Merchant Finance Corporation (IMFC) made a successful takeover bid for Harris Scarfe, which was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange at the time.
Charles Davis Limited, a listed Tasmanian company controlled by Donald Trescowthick, acquired control of Harris Scarfe in 1976. Trescowthick focused Harris Scarfe's activities on its retailing business, developing a full line department store model, while the industrial products outlet at Mile End evolved to become Harris Scarfe Industrial (trading as Harrys Hardware), a large hardware retailing business. There were multiple small adjacent shops such as paint, power tools, garden.
The success of Harry's led Harris Scarfe's parent company, Charles Davis Limited, to acquire other hardware retailers, including Lloyd's in South Australia, Campbell's in Queensland, and McEwans in Victoria and New South Wales. In 1989, these hardware businesses were sold in a management buyout, and acquired by Bunnings in 1993.
1990s
In the 1990s, Harris Scarfe entered an era of unprecedented national growth. It expanded beyond its large department store in Rundle Mall into smaller format suburban and regional shopping stores. Harris Scarfe also acquired full-line department store sites from other retailers who were rationalising their store networks including David Jones (Cairns, Townsville and Macarthur Square NSW), Myer (Colonnades), John Martin's (Arndale and Elizabeth), Stirlings in Western Australia (Albany, Bunbury and Geraldton), FitzGerald's in Tasmania and Melbourne (Hobart, Moonah, Eastlands, New Norfolk, Launceston, Ulverstone, Devonport, Burnie and Forest Hill) and Centre Fair (Shepparton). By 1995, Harris Scarfe had become Australia's third largest department store retailer, with 38 stores, and trading in all states of Australia.