Do we like JB Hi-Fi?
Consumer electronics and appliance retailer (JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, e&s) based in Melbourne, Australia, with NZ stores.
Our score: 5 out of 10. A big, well-run retailer. But we'd hold off backing it for now: it has a $13.5m consumer-law penalty, a pricing probe, and a trial over warranties it sold.
JB Hi-Fi is now a A$11bn-a-year retailer. It posted record FY26 sales of $11.06 billion, and the group includes The Good Guys and e&s as well as the JB Hi-Fi stores in Australia and New Zealand. Nick Wells is Group CEO.
The big blemish is The Good Guys. The ACCC took it to court over store-credit promotions that didn't clearly say you had to opt into marketing emails. The Federal Court ordered a $13.5 million penalty, and JB Hi-Fi also agreed to contribute $200,000 to the ACCC's costs.
There's more in the pipeline. Maurice Blackburn's class action says JB Hi-Fi sold extended warranties of little or no value, and the trial was due to start on 5 October 2026. JB Hi-Fi hasn't lost that case, and the claims are only allegations. Millions of customers could be covered.
In 2026 the ACCC looked at JB Hi-Fi's online 'was' prices. It said the prices were allegedly misleading, and JB Hi-Fi refunded customers. The ACCC settled it without formal action, citing JB Hi-Fi's cooperation and the small scale. On the plus side, it reports staff giving and rising waste diversion. We land at a middling score.