David Jones to close 19 stores, with Christmas trading continuing

The receiver has confirmed plans to shut half the department store network, but closure dates and the scale of job losses remain unclear.

Channel: ABC News (Australia) ·

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David Jones receiver to close 19 stores | ABC NEWS

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0:15Receiver FTI confirms plans to close half of David Jones's store network.
0:35Affected locations include Parramatta, Robina, Woden, Highpoint, Marion and Newmarket in Auckland.
1:25Supplier correspondence says affected stores will remain open through Christmas, but precise closure dates remain unclear.
1:53Hilco, the major secured lender, has deployed retail team members to assist store managers.
2:30Terzon discusses the retail and concession workforce; significant job losses are expected, but no total is confirmed.

David Jones stores marked for closure are expected to trade through Christmas, leaving staff facing an uncertain timetable beyond the busy shopping season.

Australia's Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News reports that receiver FTI has confirmed plans to close 19 stores, half the department store chain's network, following its entry into voluntary administration.

Business reporter Emilia Terzon lists affected locations including Parramatta and Wollongong in New South Wales, Robina on Queensland's Gold Coast, Woden in Canberra, and Melbourne's Malvern Central, Glen Waverley and Highpoint. Marion in South Australia and Newmarket in Auckland, New Zealand, are also among the stores named.

Correspondence sent to suppliers says the affected stores will remain open through the Christmas period, Terzon reports. However, she stresses that there is no clear closure date. Confirmation that a store is shutting therefore does not mean its doors are closing immediately.

The report also says Hilco, the retailer's major secured lender, has deployed retail team members to help store managers.

For a department store business founded in 1838, the announcement represents a substantial contraction. Its consequences extend beyond the shopfronts: Terzon says David Jones has around 6,000 retail and concession workers. Concession staff work within the stores for individual brands.

With half the network slated to shut, Terzon expects significant job losses, but the report gives no confirmed total. For workers, the Christmas trading commitment offers a near-term timetable, not an answer about which jobs will remain.

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