SA retail leaders react to David Jones collapse, warn of wider strain

Why it matters

Steve Maras, chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency and chief executive of Maras Group, told InDaily he fears the collapse signals worse trouble for the retail sector. He said he hopes the business can be restructured and bought by another group, and urged Adelaide shoppers to support local bricks-and-mortar stores. Maras Group holds a large landholding in Adelaide’s East End, according to InDaily. Maras has an insolvency background and began his career in the early 1990s recession. His warning, as quoted: “We haven’t seen anything yet.”

Paul Flavel, author of a 2024 history of South Australia’s John Martin’s department store, called the news devastating. Flavel worked at David Jones in Victoria from 2009 to 2014. He told InDaily that David Jones and Myer still generate billions of dollars in sales, but the operating model is clearly unprofitable.

The numbers

• 188 years: the age of the David Jones brand.
• 3: South Australian stores when administration began.
• 6,000+: staff across the company.

What’s next

Flavel expects any surviving business to be much smaller, likely focused on e-commerce and CBD locations, and still offering premium products. He noted that department stores have not historically survived administration, but said he expects David Jones to survive. He also warned that suppliers owed money are likely to be cautious.

The picture has moved since this reaction. Our earlier report, David Jones to close Marion and West Lakes, covers the receivers’ decision to close 19 of 38 stores, which would leave Rundle Mall as the only South Australian store. Those closures are the receivers’ decision as reported by InDaily, and no final trading dates have been set.