How to save David Jones: Maybe turn it into a Mickey Mouse outfit



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Published

July 21st 2018 00:18:01

When times are tough, it's time to call the big guns – and David Jones went straight to the top, or at least the top of Hollywood's cartoon A-list characters.

The sick department store called Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to help him get out of the slump.

Mickey and Minnie are two of the best known, most profitable and least paid Hollywood power couples.

They made squillions for Walt Disney Company since A chance pencil draws them closer in 1933.

It may not be their biggest concert, but they can add the public face of David Jones to their crowded common resume.

David Jones wants to shop fun, and Disney is selling as epitome of fun.

Australian consumers seem to need something to rid them of their flat discouragement.

"These Disney moments are paramount for the experience we create here, right here in the heart of Sydney," said David Jones executive David Thomas told ABC.

$ 200M Plan

Disney is David Jones 'newest recruit in a $ 200 million plan to turn his Sydney flagship store into David Jones' home and Walt Disney are iconic brands that have brought memorable magical experiences to Australian customers for generations, making this partnership perfect, "said Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Executive Director of Disney Australia.

And while kids are seduced by their Disney heroes into the toy department, David Jones hopes their parents will also be hooked by the range of luxury brands for them and their credit cards. 19659003] It's a wise decision, according to Nancy Georges, strategist at Magnolia Solutions.

"I really think that taking David Jones into the history of the luxury brand is so smart because Myer and David Jones have not been very different ent, whether in stock or experience, for a very, very long time, "she said.

Still Losing Money

When Woolworths South Africa bought David Jones for $ 2 billion in 2014, promoting private labels was at the center

But with its most recent profits down nearly 40%, a $ 700 million write-down and an apparent revolving door for general managers, the internal branding strategy has obviously not worked. .

in Johannesburg, this week, sales have dropped again

The question is: will the market go up (and the cartoon rodents) be the savior?

"I do not think so that it's just about getting on the l e market.

"I think it's about committing and editing our ranges that are appropriate and essential for Australia."

"So gather the best products in one store and collect the best service and gather the best experiences."

A good start, according to long-time retail strategist Peter Ryan of Red Communications.

"I believe enormously in what made you famous and will always make you famous."

But will the service improve?

million. Ryan sees a big difference between David Jones 'intentions and the store's shoppers' experiences, citing the London department store, Selfridges as an example.

"Gordon Selfridge was the PT Barnham department store," he said.

"He was a showman and he produced a calendar every day they were open."

"People wanted I do not see that at David Jones."

But service, or lack thereof, remains a matter of non-Micky Mouse proportions.

Ms. Georges thinks DJs will waste 200 million dollars they do not repair it

"I can buy the same thing that I can buy at David Jones from 10 other online retailers, from my couch" she said.

"I don & # 39; I do not need to get in my car, I do not need to pay for parking, I do not have to wait 25 minutes while someone goes to the car. find in the reserve. "

Beat the marks at their own game

This is a message that the boss of David Jones seems to understand.

" We must own a service, we must have experiences and we need exclusive products for the customer, "said Mr. Thomas.

David Jones, Sydney's flagship store, is right across from Gucci and Prada stores, in an area where many of the world's leading brands have installed their shingles.

DJ is hoping customers will walk past the Gucci store, cross the street and buy their Gucci at David Jones.

Peter Ryan of Red Communications said that it's not necessarily a bad thing, so David Jones is smart about how he uses these brands.

"If you look at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, the Louis Vuitton store is one of its what they use as a sampler."

"They have a range of products that they do not have." they can integrate into the 80 square meter dealerships, and if you want more of that, or greater depth than that, then they push you to the other store. "

Peter Ryan says the secret David Jones' market success is that it becomes the destination where buyers looking for luxury goods come to compare themselves

unless it can attract people in large numbers willing to spend . , this latest David Jones strategy will end up being just a Mickey Mouse outfit, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Topics:

News from the company,

retail,

Australia

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