The Big Read It was a chance conversation over coffee in early 2023 with Richard Uechtritz, the former chief executive-turned director of retailer JB Hi-Fi, that gave Andy Bowen the inspiration to bring Uber to the long antiquated building supplies industry. Nearly three-and-a-half years ago his family’s century-old Bowens timber and hardware business, which had been established by his great grandfather, launched its e-commerce function for trade and retail buyers. But the conversation with Uechtritz last year proved to be a turning point in supercharging Bowens’ online ambitions. Uechtritz said JB Hi-Fi, one of the nation’s premier electronic retailers, had been looking at ways to utilise its bricks-and-mortar network to deliver products to customers faster, and was trialing the “Uberisation” of its home delivery service. Damon Kitney Read more | 