The origins of Harvey Norman® date back to 1961, when Gerry Harvey and Ian Norman opened their first retail store specialising in electrical goods and appliances in Arncliffe, New South Wales.

Over the following two decades, the business expanded to 42 stores trading under the Norman Ross Discounts brand.

In 1982, Norman Ross Discounts was acquired by Walton Bonds. Following that acquisition, Gerry Harvey and Ian Norman established Harvey Norman®, with the first Harvey Norman® store opening in Auburn, New South Wales.

Since then, Harvey Norman® has grown into one of Australia’s leading retail brands and expanded its operations internationally.

The international expansion of Harvey Norman® commenced in July 1997 with the opening of its first store in Auckland, New Zealand.

Expansion into Asia and Europe followed:

• In 1999, Harvey Norman® acquired a 30.12% interest in Pertama Limited in Singapore through a joint venture with Ossia Limited. Pertama stores initially traded under the Pertama brand before transitioning to Harvey Norman® by 2001. Harvey Norman® now holds a controlling interest in Pertama Limited.
• In 2002, the first Harvey Norman® store opened in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• In 2003, the first Harvey Norman® stores opened in Dublin (Swords), Ireland, and Malaysia.
• In 2009, two Harvey Norman® stores opened in Holywood and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
• In 2011, the first Harvey Norman® store opened in Zagreb, Croatia.
• In 2024, the first Harvey Norman® store opened in the West Midlands, United Kingdom.

Today, Harvey Norman® operates company-owned stores across New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, Slovenia and Croatia, while continuing to expand its retail and property investment footprint.