Inside Harris Farm’s next chapter: family leadership, technology and purpose

Family businesses balance ambition with legacy, and few do it better than Harris Farm Markets. Founded by David and Cathy Harris in 1971, the chain has grown from one Sydney store into a multi-state retailer known for championing fresh produce and local growers. Now led by brothers Angus and Luke Harris, the family continues to evolve its governance model while embracing technology and growth.

Harris Farm’s independence shows the power of long-term thinking and close customer connection, reflected in its 2025 Finder Grocery Gold Awards for Most Loved and Most Trusted Supermarket. Here, we speak to Co-CEO Angus Harris about growth, governance and what it takes to stay true to family values in a competitive market.

Q: Leading a business with your siblings must have its strengths and challenges. What has that experience taught you about shared decision-making?

A: I remember when our parents first sat me, Tristan and Luke down to tell us they’d decided we should be Co-CEOs. We were expecting it to be one of us, but they said, “We want all of you to share the role.” There was a mix of surprise and confusion at first, but they told us to get good advice and work together.

We found a CEO coach, who’s still with us today. One of the first lessons was that major decisions had to be unanimous. Each of us came into the CEO role from different parts of the business. I was more focused on finance and logistics, so some conversations naturally carried more weight for me, while others mattered more to my brothers. We learned not to override each other on issues that were really important.

At times, that was challenging. When you’ve known someone for decades, it can be hard to separate family dynamics from professional ones. But we realised that for any decision to be a good one, it needed consensus. Over time, we also saw that consensus had to extend beyond us. When the three of us were running the business, our teams sometimes reflected our individual perspectives, which created silos. Now, with Luke and me leading, [Tristan transitioned into a director role in order to focus on other pursuits] we focus on removing those silos and building alignment across the whole organisation.

Q: Can you share an example of when your leadership team convinced you to commit to a major decision, or when you persuaded others to take a calculated risk?

A: Most of those moments have been around opening new stores or buying other businesses. Acquisitions can be tricky because it’s harder to make a return when you’re paying goodwill on top of the base investment. But sometimes the strategic fit makes it worthwhile.

Recently, we bought a couple of fruit shops, something we hadn’t done for a while. On paper, the payback period looked longer than usual, but when we looked back at similar purchases, they’d consistently performed well. Everyone agreed this acquisition made sense. It filled a gap in our retail footprint and helped offset the slowdown in new retail development over recent years. Even though it seemed like a bigger risk initially, we realised it was actually a safer and smarter move in the long run.

Q: The retail market has had a challenging few years. What are you observing about your customers, both your long-time shoppers and the newer ones you’ve attracted as the business has grown?

A: People will always buy quality and value. And by value, I don’t mean cheap, I mean quality relative to price. If you focus on delivering real value for money, customers recognise that, whether you’re positioned at the affordable or premium end of the market.

We think a lot about the consumer. For instance, my father has always insisted that fruit and veg specials must be the same price for a single item as for multiples. It might seem small, but it reflects fairness, nature sets the special, not factory production levels. Our goal is to make sure customers always feel they’re getting honest value for what they pay.

Q: And has that demand stayed consistent, despite cost-of-living pressures?

A: Yes. Being in the supermarket industry, our proposition is built on good value for our customers, supporting families with quality food options. You might spend a lot at the checkout, but it’s still far cheaper than eating out or ordering takeaway, especially for families. For singles or couples, convenience options can sometimes seem better value, but for most households, shopping smartly and cooking at home still delivers much greater value. Even in tougher times, people will always need to eat, and that consistency has helped us stay resilient.

Q: Where does technology fit into your vision for Harris Farm’s future? What have you already invested in, and where do you see automation or tech investment driving growth next?

A: We see technology as a way to automate lower-value tasks so our people can focus on higher-impact work. We’ve already made major investments in a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and an automated warehouse and distribution network.

The next step is using that technology to eliminate repetitive manual processes. For example, in our warehouses, we want to automate routine movements and tracking tasks, or in procurement, remove the need for manual steps between purchase orders. The goal is to get more scale and efficiency from our existing workforce.

Like many businesses, we’re also experimenting with AI and large language models to see how they can streamline work and save time, ideally taking an hour or even a day of manual effort out of each person’s workload.

Q: How have you taken your people along that technology and automation journey?

A: Moving into a new automated warehouse made the change tangible and exciting for everyone. It’s a completely new environment, and while there have been challenges, the shift has helped the team see the benefits of innovation firsthand.

We’re now in the second stage of implementation, spending a lot of time redesigning processes and retraining staff on how the new systems work. When we introduced our ERP system a few years ago, we didn’t invest enough in training, and people naturally fell back into old habits. This time, we’re focused on proper change management, making sure everyone understands not just the system, but how their work fits into the bigger picture.

Q: Harris Farm is an iconic business, and I imagine you’ve had plenty of approaches from investors over the years. Why is staying private so important to you, both as a family and as a business model?

A: We’ve always kept the customer at the centre of everything we do, and so far, we haven’t found anyone we believe could do that better than us. Staying private allows us to stay true to that focus.

For now, we’re concentrating on making the most of what we have, continuing to serve our

existing customers well while finding new ones. We’re happy with where the business is heading and want to keep building on that. In the future, there may come a time when another approach makes sense, but the last time we explored it, we were confident that remaining private was the right decision.

Q: Looking ahead to the mid to long term, what do you see as the next big opportunities for Harris Farm? Where do you see the business going?

A: The main focus is on becoming more things to our existing customers. When I joined the business about 25 years ago, we were essentially a fruit and veg store, around 80% of our range. Today, that’s closer to 45-50%, so expanding what we offer to those same customers is a big opportunity.

We’re continuing to grow category by category, broadening our product range to meet more of our customers’ needs. Geographic expansion is also key. We entered Queensland only a few years ago and the ACT more recently, so we see strong potential to keep building in both those markets, as well as exploring other parts of the country for future growth.