David Jones told staff and suppliers on Wednesday it would close seven stores across New South Wales as part of closing half its stores after the chain collapsed into administration last week, leaving thousands of workers without jobs after the peak Christmas trading period and casting doubt over how the vast retail spaces will be filled.
The seven NSW stores facing closure are at Macquarie Centre, Macarthur Square, Parramatta, Hornsby, Warringah Mall, Green Hills in East Maitland and Wollongong Central.
Last-ditch negotiations with its landlord, Westfield operator Scentre Group, broke down before the closures were announced. The company is set to close 19 stores nationally.
Property managers are now deciding what to do with the spaces David Jones will vacate. At Castle Towers in Castle Hill, where David Jones closed in January after 34 years, QIC said the departure marked the completion of a planned transition and would allow the space to be reconfigured into a lifestyle and sporting precinct better aligned to customer needs. The space would feature multiple retailers, including JD Sports, Lululemon and Nike.
Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the Parramatta store was once a destination shoppers would dress up to visit and the “only place you could buy Yorkshire tea in western Sydney”. He struggles to imagine a single tenant who could fill the space, noting that he thinks the traditional retail model where anchor department stores drew in shoppers for smaller tenants is almost reversing.
Scentre Group chief executive Elliott Rusanow did not confirm whether the former David Jones spaces at Parramatta, Hornsby and Warringah Mall would be leased to one or several tenants, but said there was strong demand for space at the centres and that Scentre had a unique opportunity at 17 Westfield destinations to introduce and grow local and international brands and experiences its customers want. GPT, which manages Macquarie Centre and Macarthur Square, is assessing opportunities for the spaces David Jones will vacate. A GPT spokesperson said the company has for a number of years been proactively reinvesting in and evolving space across its centres as part of a broader retail strategy, including repositioning large-format space to meet changing customer needs.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The closure of seven David Jones stores in NSW will directly impact thousands of retail workers, with job losses expected after the Christmas trading period.
- The decision by landlords on how to fill the spaces, single tenant anchor or multi-retailer precinct, signals a long-term shift in how major shopping centres are structured.
- The vacancies affect major shopping destinations across Sydney and regional NSW, potentially altering the retail mix for millions of shoppers.
Background
David Jones is a historic Australian department store chain that collapsed into administration in November 2026 after failing to reach a lease agreement with landlord Scentre Group. The chain announced it would close around half its stores nationwide, including seven of its nine NSW locations. Property giants operating the affected centres must now decide how to adapt the large spaces to a changing retail environment.
Key Perspectives
David Borger, Business Western Sydney: The loss of the Parramatta store is significant, and he struggles to imagine a single tenant filling the space, noting the reversal of the traditional anchor-tenant retail model.
QIC, manager of Castle Towers: The departure of David Jones allowed a planned transition to a multi-retailer precinct that QIC says is "better aligned to customer needs".
Elliott Rusanow, Scentre Group: There is strong demand for the vacated space, presenting a unique opportunity to "introduce and grow local and international brands and experiences".
GPT, manager of Macquarie Centre and Macarthur Square: GPT has been proactively repositioning large-format space as part of its broader retail strategy and is assessing opportunities.
What to Watch
- Whether landlords choose to subdivide the David Jones spaces into multi-retailer precincts, following the Castle Towers model, or seek a single new anchor tenant.
- How quickly new tenants or uses are announced for the seven sites, particularly in Parramatta and Macquarie Centre, as the Christmas trading period ends.
- Whether the collapse accelerates a broader trend of department store consolidation in Australian shopping centres.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedDavid Jones will close seven stores in NSW.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The NSW stores that will shut include Macquarie Centre, Macarthur Square, Parramatta, Hornsby, Warringah Mall, Green Hills in East Maitland and Wollongong Central.”
- SupportedShopping-centre owners are scrambling to decide how to fill the spaces David Jones will vacate.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The property giants that operate some of Sydney’s biggest shopping centres are scrambling to decide how they will fill the sprawling spaces vacated by collapsed department store David Jones.”
- SupportedScentre Group did not say whether the former David Jones spaces at Parramatta, Hornsby and Warringah Mall would have one or multiple tenants.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Scentre Group did not confirm whether the former David Jones retail spaces at Parramatta, Hornsby and Warringah Mall would be leased out to one or multiple tenants”
- SupportedGPT is assessing opportunities for the David Jones spaces at Macquarie Centre and Macarthur Square.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “GPT, which manages the Macquarie Centre and Macarthur Square shopping centres, is assessing opportunities for the spaces David Jones will vacate.”
- SupportedDavid Jones told staff and suppliers on Wednesday it would axe half its stores, including seven in NSW.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “David Jones told staff and suppliers on Wednesday it would axe half its stores, including seven in NSW”
- SupportedDavid Jones had collapsed into administration the previous week, and last-ditch negotiations with Scentre Group broke down before the closures were announced.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The decision to close dozens of stores came a week after David Jones collapsed into administration when last-ditch negotiations with its landlord, Westfield operator Scentre Group, broke down.”
- SupportedThe closures would leave thousands of workers without jobs after the peak Christmas trading period.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “leaving thousands of workers without a job after the peak Christmas trading period”
- SupportedDavid Jones is set to close 19 stores nationally.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “David Jones to shut 19 stores, thousands of jobs to go”
- SupportedThe seven NSW stores named for closure are at Macquarie Centre, Macarthur Square, Parramatta, Hornsby, Warringah Mall, Green Hills in East Maitland and Wollongong Central.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The NSW stores that will shut include Macquarie Centre, Macarthur Square, Parramatta, Hornsby, Warringah Mall, Green Hills in East Maitland and Wollongong Central.”
- SupportedDavid Borger said the Parramatta store was the “only place you could buy Yorkshire tea in western Sydney”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the Parramatta store was once a destination that shoppers would dress up to visit and the “only place you could buy Yorkshire tea in western Sydney”.”
- SupportedAt Castle Towers, David Jones closed in January after 34 years; QIC said its departure completed a planned transition and would allow the space to be reconfigured as a lifestyle and sporting precinct.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “where David Jones closed its store in January, after 34 years. At the time, QIC, which manages Castle Towers, said the departure of David Jones marked the completion of a planned transition and would allow the space to be reconfigured into a lifestyle and sporting precinct”
- SupportedThe Castle Towers space would feature multiple retailers, including JD Sports, Lululemon and Nike.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “the space would feature multiple retailers, including JD Sports, Lululemon, LSKD, Nike, Universal Store and Kookai.”