Kim Wilson
December 12, 2012
Herald Sun
DEPARTMENT store giants Myer and David Jones are trialling new store sizes in an attempt to attract customers.
Myer opened its first pop-up store at Southern Cross Station yesterday and David Jones is constructing a village store in Malvern.
Myer’s acting executive general manager of stores Tony Sutton said the temporary store hoped to tap into the 130,000 commuters who passed through the city station every day.
“We have our bricks and mortar store, which is a large part of the business,” Mr Sutton said.
“We have online, which is working well for us, and then we thought we’d trial something different.
“If things go well we may actually build 10 of these.
“We see it having a few different uses moving forward — to launch new brands, use it as an online store, and to go into regional areas where there isn’t a Myer store.”
The 72sq m pop-up store, built around a modified shipping container, holds more than 400 products.
“It’s a cross section of all our best sellers,” he said.
Helen Karlis, general manager corporate affairs and investor relations at David Jones, said the retailer hadn’t ruled out setting up pop-up stores.
“It’s definitely on our radar,” she said.
In the meantime, David Jones is developing more village-format stores that house fashion, beauty and selected homewares in a store that is half the size of a standard department store.
“I think it’s adapting to structural changes in the retail environment and the way people shop,” Ms Karlis said.
“It’s a much more edited offering. Basically it’s for customers in a very particular demographic – well travelled, fashion aware and aware of brands.
“In Malvern there isn’t a large shopping centre. It has an eclectic, villagey feel.”
The Malvern store, to be built in the old Target space at Malvern Central Shopping Centre, is expected to open in the second half of next year.
kim.wilson@news.com.au
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