JB Hi-Fi ex-CEO will lead The Good Guys

Former JB Hi-Fi chief executive Terry Smart will take over as CEO of The Good Guys business from the retiring Michael Ford on April 18.

A Good Guys store is seen in Brighton in Melbourne

Former JB Hi-Fi chief Terry Smart will rejoin the company as CEO of The Good Guys business. (AAP)

JB Hi-Fi's former chief executive Terry Smart will replace the long-running boss of recently acquired whitegoods business The Good Guys.

Michael Ford, who has been The Good Guys CEO for around 13 years, has resigned about four months after JB Hi-Fi bought the whitegoods and electricals retailer.

Mr Smart, who was JB Hi-Fi's chief executive from 2010 to 2014, will replace Mr Ford on April 18.

JB Hi-Fi chief executive Richard Murray said, in a statement to the ASX on Thursday, he looked forward to again working with Mr Smart.

"Terry has a proven track-record as one of Australia's best retail executives and we look forward to him building on The Good Guys' previous success," he said.

The company has also moved to reassure investors that both its businesses are trading strongly.

The Good Guys' crucial comparable sales grew 1.2 per cent for the March quarter and total sales rose 2.6 per cent, while JB Hi-Fi's comparable sales was up 8.2 per cent and its total sales climbed 10.8 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Mr Murray said Mr Ford had made a huge contribution to The Good Guys, particularly during the past 18 months when the business experienced significant change.

Mr Ford said the decision to leave had been a difficult one, but after helping to navigate the business through the buy-out of joint venture partners, a potential listing, and the sale process to JB Hi-Fi, he believed the time was right.

He will leave on April 28.

JB Hi-Fi has also reaffirmed its guidance for group sales of about $5.58 billion for its 2017 financial year - JB Hi-Fi contributing $4.33 billion and The Good Guys $1.25 billion.

It also still expects group underlying net profit to be in the range of $200 million to $206 million.

Shares in JB Hi-Fi were up 68.5 cents, or 2.81 per cent, at $25.095 at 1122 AEST.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world