Our Apple range will “rattle” retail industry: Kogan

Online tech retailer Kogan is to start stocking Apple products in a move that its founder, Ruslan Kogan, claims will “seriously rattle the entire retail market.”

The company says that it will source Apple, Canon, Nikon and Samsung products “higher up the supply chain” and sell them directly to customers via its website.

Kogan claims that an Apple iPad 2 Wifi 64G will sell for $659 via its site, compared to $799 at Harvey Norman and $784 at JB Hi-Fi.

The company refused to answer how it will source the iPads or the stock levels it will carry. However, Ruslan Kogan tells StartupSmart that the move will significantly impact the retail market.

“We expect that Kogan’s expansion today will seriously rattle the entire retail market,” he says.

“For far too long, Australian shoppers have been paying inflated prices on the world’s leading brands and products. Today, that changes.”

“We know that JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman watch us like a hawk, and we expect that they will be very worried about today’s announcement.”

Kogan’s bombastic approach to “traditional” retailers such as Harvey Norman has generated plenty of press headlines.

But it is noteworthy that Kogan will now stock Apple products, given his public comments on the supposed reliance JB Hi-Fi has on the brand.

“Kogan’s business is not reliant on Apple,” he insists.

“We design, assemble and deliver the most in demand technology in Australia and around the world. Our business model ensures we are never reliant on another brand.”

The expansion of Kogan’s range follows the company’s latest media-friendly stunt, in which it offered free TVs to anyone who could find an equivalent product advertised for cheaper at JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.