05 September 2008

Vision of a Great Dane

Great Daneâ€™s Anton Assad has a vision â€“ to create a â€˜Scandinavian department storeâ€™.

Anton Assad began his business, Great Dane, in a very suspect and somewhat leaky shed in Melbourne. Yet his passion for fine Scandinavian design has seen the company grow from $250,000 to a $3 million turnover with three showrooms in just five years.

It is Assad’s mission to bring the best in Scandinavian homewares to Australia. He puts his success down to finding a niche in the market, but he has gone so much further – traveling to the small Scandinavian factories searching for the best designs and often convincing them to bring lost designs back into production.

With showrooms in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Assad’s vision for Great Dane is a Scandinavian department store - something between an Ikea and ‘Space’ - where people will ‘pilgrimage’ for the best designs at accessible prices.

Assad sees the onslaught of cheaper Asian products as a significant obstacle for Great Dane, but is reassured by the impact of the design purists who continue to demand quality design.

“The Scandinavians believe that design should not be elitist and appreciate the value of good design which they then in turn, deliver to homes around Europe,” Assad says. Great Dane aim to bring this ‘good design’ to those in Australia who have a similar belief.

Great Dane now has 14 employees and offer a webpage with an extensive product listing.

www.greatdanefurniture.com.au

Melbourne showroom - 116 Commercial Rd, Prahran, Victoria, Australia 3181

Sydney showroom - 613 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, NSW, Australia 2016

Brisbane showroom - 161 Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley, Qld 4006