Apologies for not being in contact for a while. Here at Dick Smith Foods we have had a lot going on and we wanted to keep you updated.
As you are aware, there has been some press coverage over the past few weeks in regards to Dick Smith Foods. At this point, we can confirm that Dick Smith Foods is not closed. However, we will need to see steady improvement for us to keep going. Regretfully Dick Smith Foods Online Store and General Store in Belrose ceased trading on 1st October 2014. This in no way has any effect on products being available and we will be continuing to focus our efforts on our mainstream Dick Smith Food products via supermarkets.
We would like to convey a massive 'Thank You' to everyone out there who has contacted us with messages of support, suggestions and general encouragement. We have been filled with optimism based on public feedback and the response with increases in sales to date.
A lot of you have been asking where you can find our products to help support us. You can find the link to our stockists here:
We have also been receiving some questions in regards to the use of palm oil. We can confirm that we do not use palm oil in our OzEnuts recipe. We will no longer be claiming this on the pack as any claim on packaging requires expensive, rigorous testing. We would much rather offer you a range of high quality Australian products at the lowest price possible. We feel this is the best way we can continue supporting Aussie farmers and producers, to keep jobs here, and allow us to support charities and humanitarian causes.
There has also been some talk in regards to Halal certification. A few false letters have been circulating claiming to be written by Dick Smith. We can confirm that these letters were not written by Dick Smith. The only official statement from Dick Smith Foods is easily found on our website here. We would prefer to avoid unnecessarily increasing the cost of our products in order to pay for Halal accreditation when this money would be better spent continuing to support important charitable causes where assistance is greatly needed.
Speaking of supporting charitable causes, our '$1 million to charity' is in full swing for the second round of donations. If you have a favourite charity you would love to help support, get behind them by purchasing a Dick Smith Foods product and following the simple steps which you can find here:
We ran the below ad in June 2013 which had no real impact.
Now it's your turn!
Can you come up with some absolutely amazing and controversial text or a statement which will cause a lot of attention and get people talking about our products?
A fantastic prize will be awarded ... details coming soon.
Hurry - entries close 30th November 2014
dorian said
09:50 PM Nov 11, 2014
Dick Smith's products cost more than their competition, whether local or international. I reckon that's why people don't buy them.
As for me, I confess that I'm cynical about an OzEpatriot who made his fortune by flogging Chinese imports. Maybe Dick Smith Foods is his attempt at redemption.
In fact his OzEmite product has been the subject of an IP battle with the "family-owned AussieMite company":
Not too many companies don't sell those forms of Chinese imports (electronic goods etc) most aren't made in Oz anyway...
I agree the prices of the food products can't compete with overseas cheap foods made with cheap labour etc.
Being retired I tend to buy the cheaper products mainly to make the dollars go around, depending on what the product is and where it's made etc...
-- Edited by Vic41 on Tuesday 11th of November 2014 10:59:43 PM
GaryKelly said
08:07 AM Nov 12, 2014
Thanks for posting this item, Vic. Being the advertising genius I am hehe, I'm gonna have a go at the competition. Wish me luck.
dorian said
08:45 AM Nov 12, 2014
AFAICT, Dick Smith Foods licences its products to Sanitarium who do the manufacturing. However, Sanitarium, whose entire profits go to charity, also manufacture their own peanut butter and Marmite products in Australia. Why should people buy DSF products if Sanitarium products are cheaper and more "charitable"?
dazren said
10:06 AM Nov 12, 2014
Stop being so Negative, for a start ? when Dick Smith made his fortune. Importing Electronics from Overseas, ?? Australia needed a good reliable source of those products, without the ripp-off prices of the existing Australian IMPORTERS of those products ?
And also '' Sanitarium'' = charity
The Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies. Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Wikipedia
How come when they Knock on my door, They Never give me any Charitable Samples of the products, ?
dorian said
10:49 AM Nov 12, 2014
DSE's markup on electronic components was massive. For example, an audio cable that you can buy on eBay for $1 used to sell for almost $20 at DSE. I was buying the same cables from WES Components (Ashfield) for $1 (trade) at that time. During the 1980s I was buying ICs from the official local distributors at a fraction of the price that DSE was retailing them for, and I wasn't getting wholesale prices.
The best thing about Dick was that he sold Australian designed kits. I bought just about everything else from other suppliers.
Vic41 said
12:25 PM Nov 12, 2014
GaryKelly wrote:
Thanks for posting this item, Vic. Being the advertising genius I am hehe, I'm gonna have a go at the competition. Wish me luck.
Good luck Gary ! (PS: OT, but as well as sitting in your van, try having an afternoon nap in it on a moderately warm day while at home, I've done that an sometimes wake up and wonder where the hell I am, LOL ! )
Vic41 said
03:27 PM Nov 12, 2014
dazren wrote:
And also '' Sanitarium'' = charity
The Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies. Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Wikipedia
How come when they Knock on my door, They Never give me any Charitable Samples of the products, ?
Don't know that SDA knock on your door Dazren, JW do though and Mormon missionaries approach people in public, but never had any SDA come to our place.
Nobody does nothing for nothing, and I wouldn't be surprised that Sanitarium's charity is probably their own SDA church (which are tax exempt by the way, like other churches).....
GaryKelly said
05:25 PM Nov 12, 2014
Consumers buy goods for selfish reasons. If Aussie made and/or Aussie grown truly mattered to Aussies, our roads would have more Australian made cars on them, and supermarket shelves would be stocked with more Australian produce.
Cloak said
06:35 PM Nov 12, 2014
I used to haunt the Richmond DSE store and ran in to Dick one day while buying a digital clock kit.
He asked me if I had any suggestions for the store but walked away before I could answer... lol a busy man.
Apologies for not being in contact for a while. Here at Dick Smith Foods we have had a lot going on and we wanted to keep you updated.
As you are aware, there has been some press coverage over the past few weeks in regards to Dick Smith Foods. At this point, we can confirm that Dick Smith Foods is not closed. However, we will need to see steady improvement for us to keep going. Regretfully Dick Smith Foods Online Store and General Store in Belrose ceased trading on 1st October 2014. This in no way has any effect on products being available and we will be continuing to focus our efforts on our mainstream Dick Smith Food products via supermarkets.
We would like to convey a massive 'Thank You' to everyone out there who has contacted us with messages of support, suggestions and general encouragement. We have been filled with optimism based on public feedback and the response with increases in sales to date.
A lot of you have been asking where you can find our products to help support us. You can find the link to our stockists here:
STOCKISTS
and a link to our range of products here:
PRODUCT RANGE
We have also been receiving some questions in regards to the use of palm oil. We can confirm that we do not use palm oil in our OzEnuts recipe. We will no longer be claiming this on the pack as any claim on packaging requires expensive, rigorous testing. We would much rather offer you a range of high quality Australian products at the lowest price possible. We feel this is the best way we can continue supporting Aussie farmers and producers, to keep jobs here, and allow us to support charities and humanitarian causes.
There has also been some talk in regards to Halal certification. A few false letters have been circulating claiming to be written by Dick Smith. We can confirm that these letters were not written by Dick Smith. The only official statement from Dick Smith Foods is easily found on our website here. We would prefer to avoid unnecessarily increasing the cost of our products in order to pay for Halal accreditation when this money would be better spent continuing to support important charitable causes where assistance is greatly needed.
Speaking of supporting charitable causes, our '$1 million to charity' is in full swing for the second round of donations. If you have a favourite charity you would love to help support, get behind them by purchasing a Dick Smith Foods product and following the simple steps which you can find here:
HOW TO VOTE FOR MY FAVOURITE CHARITY
Thank you for your continued support!
Are you Australia's next marketing guru?
We ran the below ad in June 2013 which had no real impact.
Now it's your turn!
Can you come up with some absolutely amazing and controversial text or a statement which will cause a lot of attention and get people talking about our products?
Please email your idea to competition@dicksmithfoods.com.au
Dick will select the most creative entry.
A fantastic prize will be awarded ... details coming soon.
Hurry - entries close 30th November 2014
As for me, I confess that I'm cynical about an OzEpatriot who made his fortune by flogging Chinese imports. Maybe Dick Smith Foods is his attempt at redemption.
In fact his OzEmite product has been the subject of an IP battle with the "family-owned AussieMite company":
www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/small-adelaidebased-aussiemite-company-wins-battle-over-dick-smith-copycat-yeast-spread-ozemite/story-fni6uma6-1226838119529
Not too many companies don't sell those forms of Chinese imports (electronic goods etc) most aren't made in Oz anyway...
I agree the prices of the food products can't compete with overseas cheap foods made with cheap labour etc.
Being retired I tend to buy the cheaper products mainly to make the dollars go around, depending on what the product is and where it's made etc...
-- Edited by Vic41 on Tuesday 11th of November 2014 10:59:43 PM
Stop being so Negative, for a start ? when Dick Smith made his fortune. Importing Electronics from Overseas, ?? Australia needed a good reliable source of those products, without the ripp-off prices of the existing Australian IMPORTERS of those products ?
And also '' Sanitarium'' = charity
The best thing about Dick was that he sold Australian designed kits. I bought just about everything else from other suppliers.
Good luck Gary !
(PS: OT, but as well as sitting in your van, try having an afternoon nap in it on a moderately warm day while at home, I've done that an sometimes wake up and wonder where the hell I am, LOL ! 
)
Don't know that SDA knock on your door Dazren, JW do though and Mormon missionaries approach people in public, but never had any SDA come to our place.
Nobody does nothing for nothing, and I wouldn't be surprised that Sanitarium's charity is probably their own SDA church (which are tax exempt by the way, like other churches).....
He asked me if I had any suggestions for the store but walked away before I could answer... lol a busy man.