FEAR & GREED | Business News Q+A: Are we watching the slow death of David Jones and Myer?
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Feb 5, 2026 Professor Gary Mortimer, retail marketing and consumer behaviour academic at QUT, breaks down the fate of Australia’s department stores. He discusses shifting consumer habits, online retail’s role in store closures, specialty retailers stealing categories. He explores experiential retail, right‑sizing flagships and whether loyalty programs can rescue legacy chains.
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Online Channels Reduce Need For Stores
- Online sales now account for about 20–25% of Myer and David Jones revenue.
- That scale allows central fulfilment and meaningful reductions in physical store fleets.
Specialists Ate Department Store Categories
- Specialty retailers have captured many historic department store categories like electronics, furniture and sport.
- That shift leaves department stores with fewer exclusive categories to rely on for traffic.
Personal Memory Of Myer’s Former Reach
- Gary Mortimer recounts his family buying a VCR, furniture and bedding at Myer when it carried many categories.
- He uses that personal example to show how department stores once served broad household needs.