Our History

2008 marks the dawn of a new era for Bing Lee, with Lionel Lee stepping into the CEO role following the passing of his father, Bing Lee Co-founder and Chairman Ken Lee, in December 2007.

“My father was an incredible and dynamic man who built a strong business based on his values and Chinese heritage. He has left an enviable legacy not only for my family and all who work at Bing Lee, but also within the retail industry,” Lionel said.

“I am confident that Bing Lee will continue to prosper under the philosophy and culture created by my grand-father and father 50 years ago. I look forward to having our loyal customers join us on the journey.”

Lionel is no stranger to the Bing Lee business, having worked under his father’s guidance since he was 13. Initially spending his school holidays working in the Fairfield store, Lionel soon moved onto roles including warehouse assistant, delivery driver, assistant manager and manager, before moving to work at Head Office when he was 26.

Of course, the company could not have reached this level of success without the continued hard work and efforts of its 550-plus staff.

“We are very fortunate to have an exceptional and loyal team at Bing Lee who have been a part of the Bing Lee family for many years. Our staff truly believe in Bing Lee and without them our stores would not have the friendly faces that greet our loyal customers.”

In fiscal year 2006/07 turnover will exceed $440 million for the first time. Growth over the past six years has exceeded double digits. Bing Lee is the largest privately held electrical business in NSW. Stores range geographically from Newcastle in the north to Canberra in the south. Bing Lee is the only Sydney-based electrical retailer to run a centralised warehouse.The business began when Bing Lee purchased an electrical repair business in Fairfield in 1957. Bing, together with his son, Ken turned the repair business in to electrical product retail and repair/installation business trading under the name Bing Lee.

Television was launched in Australia in 1956. The demand for televisions was strong. Bing Lee’s initial growth came from the surge in demand for televisions, as well as a host of other household item’s like washing machines, cooking equipment, heaters, audio equipment, etc.

Geographically, Fairfield was the centre of post-war immigration in Sydney. The hostels around Sydney and Villawood housed many of the migrants invited to Australia to man the industrial boom. As those migrants moved in to homes around the area, their credit was low but their demand for household appliances was high. Bing Lee met that demand and backed their customers with credit. This source of business became the mainstay of Bing Lee’s growth as roles of migrants headed to Australia from South America, Europe and, more recently, Asia.

Bing Lee stores grew in number. In the early years, the stores expanded into working class geographies like Cabramatta, Parramatta, Wollongong, and Blacktown.

It was also during this time that, Bing and Ken built a loyal customer base by being the first electrical retailers to offer credit to immigrants.

Sydneysiders’ insatiable appetite for electrical appliances underpinned Bing Lee and as the city expanded and migrants moved away from the hostels into the suburbs, Bing Lee adopted new technologies quickly; driving a wave of new product introductions during 70s, 80s and 90s.

Bing Lee, the founder, died in 1987 (aged 79). Ken, Bing’s eldest, Chinese-born son took control of the business. Under his leadership the business expanded rapidly, tapping into traditional Anglo-Saxon geographies whilst maintaining its routes in the so-called “ethnic” communities.

Around the turn of the century the franchisee concept was introduced to the business. Today, around two-thirds of Bing Lee retail outlets are run by franchisees.