David Jones tipped to be coming to Newmarket

Staff at giant upmarket Australian department store chain David Jones have told a New Zealand retailer of plans to open in Auckland, according to a local source.

David Jones has made no official announcement about Auckland and today only trades from Wellington.

But the insider told the Herald that the well-established Australian chain was planning to open its second New Zealand store on the former Levene Extreme site on Newmarket's Broadway, after last year's Lambton Quay unveiling.

"David Jones has signed for Auckland. They are going into the new 277 development in Newmarket. This will be where Farmers are at the moment. The interesting point will be filling the retail spaces around David Jones with other tenants. Is signed and sealed but not been released to the media yet," the local retailer said, asking his name not be used because he has a close working relationship with the chain.

He said he had been told by staff about two weeks ago.

He was reacting to Monday's Herald story announcing Kiwi Property planned to open department stores in its ever-expanding Sylvia Park in Mt Wellington.

The retailer said David Jones staff told him directly: "I do not mind them coming to Auckland but their issue will be the same as Wellington - getting knowledgeable staff
They will give other stores a hurry-up. I have not seen any plans but the challenge will be to fill the other 70 shops or so. They start soon on the old 277 site with the rebuilding," he said, referring to property owner Scentre Group which runs Westfield malls in New Zealand.

Comment has been sought from David Jones' Australian press office.

Last year, Scentre revealed $640 million plans for Newmarket, sparking speculation of David Jones' arrival.

An investor presentation said Scentre would start work at Two Double Seven in the second quarter of next year, finish by the end of 2019 and indicated it would bring many new businesses to an expanded Westfield centre.

Key tenants included "a department store" but the document also listed Farmers, Countdown and cinemas as other new anchor tenants, a food court at the top level and 160 "new specialty retail stores".

The new centre would have 78,000sq m of new floor space when it is finished, Scentre's plans showed. New images of an expanded mall show a glass air bridge over Mortimer Pass, Scentre indicated.

That will enable a level-one pedestrian connection between the existing mall and the site opposite, where David Jones is tipped to open.

David Jones has a long history: "Our first store opened in Sydney in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh merchant, with a mission to sell 'the best and most exclusive goods'. Since then, we have grown to 35 stores, two warehouse outlets and David Jones Online, offering customers the finest brands across fashion, beauty and home. With our rich heritage, we are not only Australia's oldest department store, but also the oldest department store in the world still trading under its original name."

In February this year, Scentre Group and David Jones announced new David Jones stores would open in Westfield shopping centres in Perth over the next three years as part of Scentre's development pipeline and David Jones' further expansion into the Perth market.

Mark Knoff-Thomas of the Newmarket Business Association said this morning he had no official confirmation of David Jones' arrival.

"It would be good for Newmarket, a very welcome investment by the private sector," he said, pointing to a $600 million annual consumer spend in the area. "They're looking to hit the $1b mark over the next few years."

WHERE IS DAVID JONES TODAY?
New South Wales and ACT: 18 stores
Victoria: 8
Queensland: 9
South Australia: 3
Western Australia: 4
NZ: 1
[Source: David Jones]