Laser Co – 35 years young and ready for the next challenge

29/07/2022
By Ray Shaw
In Announcements Featured

You may not know the name Laser Co, but chances are that if you have shopped for electronic or smart accessories at Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Bing Lee, Big W, Kmart and more, you have bought Laser or its retailers’ house-branded products.

It is not just LASER (website) but also its CONNECT Smart Home range, Disney, Tech4Pets, Navig8r and Gtek range.

Laser’s laser focus is value and decent quality with low fault rates. That is why so many major retailers now use Laser for their house brands. In fact, JB Hi-Fi stocks more than 188 XCD branded items; many are from Laser. Harvey Norman relies on Laser for its Connect Smart home products. Much of K-mart’s Anko electronics range is from Laser. Laser supplies much of Bing Lee’s BLE house brand.

You don’t get that kind of retailer loyalty for so long unless you are the best supplier.

Emerging Trends

Well, Laser Co is now 35 years young, and according to its founder Chris Lau, it is now more about predicting trends and staying ahead to ensure stock of items we may not have even considered yet.

For example, the emerging trend of personal mobility. Once the various States sort out legislation (see E-scooters – great, but huge fines can apply for road use – State Guide), Laser will be there with a range of economical e-scooters, bikes, skateboards and more.

Smart home is a growing area with smart keyless door locks, LED lights (Laser was first with a $10 complete 10W LED downlight replacement), security cameras/doorbell, and even a solar-powered tap water timer/controller. Soon its smart products will be MATTER compatible to work with almost any voice assistant and other brands.

Laser is also upbeat on portable power units that can be mains or solar charged. Perfect for worksites, camping, caravanning and more. Watch this space.

As sustainability becomes more vital, the LASER range of products will comply with standards such as APCO and Redcycle. LASER is ahead of the mandated targets and moving to recycled and recyclable materials in products and packages. It is also a signatory to ethical labour standards governed by BSCi, RBA and SEDEX and all of its suppliers are regularly audited to comply.

“Our role in the Australian consumer electronics industry has never been more important. Our lower-cost and higher-quality mantra is further reinforced as inflation, and the cost of living starts to impact us all. The craving for new technology will need to be balanced with affordability- this is where LASER always shine.”
Chris Lau – Founder

Laser Co success

Lau reflected on the sheer number of technologies that had come and gone. His first small shop in Surry Hills sold Laser branded 5.25” floppy disks, later CD-ROM discs, and now in deference to that, Lau sets the challenge to change 30% of Laser’s product line each year.

“We continually source new products based on market needs and feedback from our retail partners. 30% is a massive number by any measure. I would suggest it is industry-leading and constantly forces us out of our comfort zone, not just in terms of new technologies but new variants of existing technologies.

CyberShack’s view – Laser Co products are likely in every Australian home

I first met Chris Lau in the mid-80s while working for Panasonic. He was a gentleman and focused on helping Panasonic resellers to shine. He left in 1987 to start Laser, and I have kept an eye on its progress ever since.

That he and Laser Co have been successful for over 35 years reflects the man and his philosophy.

You can hear Charlie Brown’s recent interview with Chris Lau on smart homes.

Images from the 35th Celebration