Harvey Says Australia Is Late on Online Retail Threat

Australia’s inquiry into the retail industry is “too late” to stop some retailers going out of business due to competition from offshore websites, said Gerry Harvey, executive chairman of Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd.

The government doesn’t appreciate the urgency of the threat facing domestic retailers from overseas-based rivals making use of the Internet, Harvey said in a telephone interview today. Harvey Norman is Australia’s largest furniture and electrical retailer.