Published
Mar 3, 2017
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David Jones HQ jobs up for grabs as Sydney staff refuse Melbourne move

Published
Mar 3, 2017

After announcing in late 2016 that David Jones would relocate its Sydney head office to Melbourne, only some 30% of current staff have accepted their current roles in the Victorian capital.


Only 20 to 30% of DJ's head office staff had agreed to relocate, compared to the 50 to 60% expected by the group - David Jones


The Australian department store retailer expects to replace hundreds of head office staff, mainly from buying and marketing divisions, when it shifts to a new purpose-built corporate campus in Melbourne, sharing a space with Country Road Group, also owned by South Africa's Woolworths.

Company sources told the Australian Finance Review that only 20 to 30% of head office staff had agreed to relocate, compared to the 50 to 60% expected by Woolworths. DJ's Sydney employees had until February 28 to decide.

"You can replace property and finance people quite easily but when it comes to marketing and buying, which are more bespoke and harder to fill and have history and intellectual property, they have been unpleasantly surprised by the lack of traction in those two functions," one source close to the company told AFR.

Those not willing to move will receive government-backed redundancy packages, with the Victorian state offering to pay for David Jones staff let-goes up to a certain level – around 50%. This incentive was one of many used to minimise the cost of the move. The city of Melbourne gains 600 new jobs as a result.

The first David Jones staff are due to relocate to Melbourne in August. All relocations will be completed by July-August 2018.

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