David Jones has confirmed it is closing its store in Fortitude Valley. Three years since it opened on James Street, the upscale department store will be shutting down in June 2020.
The site is the first David Jones to close in Queensland. However, a spokesperson said that this decision is in line with its “retail network strategy.”
The department store is optimising its operations as the needs and preferences of customers change. The company insisted that it is still doing OK.
With the impending shutdown, David Jones Fortitude Valley staff will not lose their jobs. Many of the team members have been redeployed at nearby outlets, including the biggest outlet in Brisbane at the Queens Plaza. This store is located some 5-kilometres away from the James Street site.
“We look forward to welcoming Brisbane customers to our QueensPlaza CBD flagship, our new-concept Carindale store and other surrounding David Jones stores as well as to davidjones.com,” the spokesperson said.
In August 2019, the department store’s owner Woolworths Holdings said, through its representatives, that it will be “aggressively” shutting down its physical stores as profits from these stores declined by 42 percent. In contrast, online sales during the second half of 2019 jumped by 61.8 percent, representing 10.4 percent of total sales.
Meanwhile, the outlet in Elizabeth Street in Brisbane City has also successfully contributed to last year’s sales. The site has undergone a massive nine-storey refurbishment, which is due for completion this March.
