David Jones Limited

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David Jones Limited

Type of Company	Public (ASX: DJS)
Founded	Sydney, Australia 1838
Headquarters	Sydney Australia
Industry	Retail
Products	Cosmetics, fashion, homewares, furniture, electrical, food
Revenue	$1.7 billion AUD (2004)
Slogan	There's no other store like David Jones
Website	www.davidjones.com.au

David Jones' flagship building on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Market Street, Sydney

David Jones Limited (ASX: DJS) is an Australian retailing company. Its primary business is an Australia wide chain of upscale department stores. Its flagship store is located in the heart of Sydney, with two locations across the street from each other on Market St. Affectionately, it is known simply as DJ's.

David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh migrant to Australia. It is believed to be the oldest department store in the world still trading under its original name. For a period in the 1990s, it had a poor staff retention rate, but currently has 37 stores located in most Australian states and territories (except Tasmania and Northern Territory).

A traditional department store, it retails fashion, cosmetics, homewares, electronics as well as an array of other products. It is seen as a more upmarket, expensive and better quality department store than its main rival Myer, and has been more profitable in recent years.

1 Business longevity
2 Branding
3 David Jones in Brisbane
4 David Jones in Adelaide
5 Stores
6 Warehouse stores
7 External links

[edit] Business longevity

Changes in management and the uneasy transition to a listed company saw DJs falter in the late 1990s. A major strategic review in 2003 saw the closing of its two unprofitable stores, the loss-making David Jones Online web-based business - arguably five years ahead of its time - and its gourmet food retail stores, Foodchain. It revitalised many of its stores, including its flagship Elizabeth Street stores (two individual Sydney CBD located buildings, linked by an underground arcade). Since then, its profitability - and profile - has improved, thanks to a combination of a consumer spending boom in 2003-2004, and the securing of exclusive deals with many high-profile Australian and international brands (often marketed as 'Available at no other department store' - a veiled reference to its rival, Myer).

David Jones is a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). In recent times, a downturn in the traditional department store market hurt both David Jones and its chief competitor, Myer (formerly owned by the Coles Myer group). Its change from private to public ownership in 1995 resulted in structural and cultural changes, which saw periods of stagnancy and high staff turnover. Shares initially offered at A$2 fell as low as A$0.90, but have since reached highs of over A$2.70. DJs is also notable for being one of the few remaining companies in Australia which offers discounts to its shareholders.

It has weathered and grown strong from the massive shift in Australian retailing away from department stores towards specialist retailers and suburban shopping malls. In contrast, Myer — once the most popular department store in Australia — has faltered, to the point that its parent company (Coles Myer Limited) has now sold the department store. This leaves David Jones the only remaining Australian owned upmarket department store.

[edit] Branding

Elizabeth Street entrance in Sydney

David Jones is known famously by its branding - a black-on-white houndstooth pattern which is now synonymous with the DJs brand and one of the most recognised corporate identities in Australia. The origin of this motif owes itself to the insistence of its founder on not using the store's name on its packaging. His aim was that the store would be so well known that everyone should recognise it simply by this now-famous motif.

David Jones has recently used celebrities for publicity purposes including Liz Hurley (makeup launch), Kim Cattrall (book launch) and Megan Gale for their own advertising. David Jones is the Australian equivalent of U.S. chain Neiman Marcus or the UK store Harrods. Level 7 in the Sydney Elizabeth Street store has 'catwalk' type fashions from international collections including Jil Sander, DKNY, Missoni, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.

DJs is famous for its Food Hall (now branded 'Food Glorious Food'), which to many Australians is an institution, particular for those English expatriates seeking traditional English brands. The Food Hall concept is unique in Australian retailing and offers a variety of the best of Australian and international food brands. It is based on the concept of the famous fresh food retailing departments in UK department stores Harrods and Marks & Spencer. The failed Foodchain experiment - effectively a standalone Food Hall - was sold to the parent company of Freedom Furniture in 2003 after it proved unprofitable. When it closed there were stores at Kew, Hawthorn, St Kilda and Brighton in Melbourne, with a Port Melbourne store due to open just before it was sold, and there were two stores in Sydney, one in Parramatta, the other in Manly.

[edit] David Jones in Brisbane

David Jones - top floor at Queens Plaza in Brisbane, Queensland (Queen Street Mall end)

David Jones - top floor at Queens Plaza in Brisbane, Queensland (Adelaide Street end)

David Jones is the major department store in the Queens Plaza complex in Brisbane, occupying a large section of each floor. The building is between Queen Street Mall and Adelaide Street, with a frontage on Edward Street

David Jones department stores are also located at several shopping centres in Brisbane suburbs.

[edit] David Jones in Adelaide

In around the year 2000 the Rundle Mall store was extensively remodelled. It features a number of bronze leaves, visible from the North Terrace face of the building. During the remodelling, a nearby small office building locked horns with the retailer over the amount of noise, dust, and disruption. Evidently unable to resolve matters; the building owner added a further bronze leaf to the office building front. On closer inspection, you can notice the stem of the leaf ends in a gesture, the office is giving David Jones the bird.