David Jones Newmarket to close as the department store pulls out of New Zealand
David Jones will close its store at Westfield Newmarket in Auckland, its only shop in New Zealand, receivers FTI Consulting said on 11 November. The local company, David Jones (NZ) Pty Limited, has been in receivership with administrators appointed since 5 November.
Newmarket is one of 19 David Jones stores in Australia and New Zealand that the receivers have marked for closure. FTI Consulting said the stores will stay open for now. No closing date has been set, but the receivers expect them to stop trading by the end of 2026. The Nightly reported that the closure takes David Jones out of New Zealand altogether. The Auckland store opened in November 2019 and has about 7,000 square metres of floor space, Inside Retail reported.
FTI Consulting is receiver of the New Zealand company, and McGrathNicol's Andrew Grenfell and Kare Johnstone are its administrators. A public notice from the administrators sets the first meeting of the company's creditors for 12pm on Tuesday 17 November at Buddle Findlay, 188 Quay Street, Auckland. Creditors will decide there whether to form a committee and whether to replace the administrators.
Staff at all 19 closing stores have started a seven-day consultation, Stuff reported. The receivers have not said how many jobs will go, and no staff number for Newmarket has been published. David Jones employs about 6,000 people, most of them in Australia, according to Inside Retail. The closure announcement did not say what happens to gift cards, returns or orders at the Newmarket store.
Why it matters: Newmarket staff face losing their jobs before the year is out, with no job numbers published. Creditors of the New Zealand company meet on 17 November, and nothing has been said yet about gift cards or orders at the store.
If this affects you
- The administrators' public notice says Andrew Grenfell and Kare Johnstone were appointed administrators of David Jones (NZ) Pty Limited on 5 November 2026 and calls the first creditors' meeting for 12pm on 17 November 2026 in Auckland. nzherald.co.nz
- New Zealand's Consumer Protection service says receivers, liquidators and administrators do not have to accept gift vouchers or credit notes. consumerprotection.govt.nz
- David Jones's New Zealand gift card site says its New Zealand eGift Cards are for the Newmarket store and cannot be used to shop at David Jones Online. wwws-au1.givex.com
- Employment New Zealand says staff of a company in liquidation can make a preferential claim, capped at NZ$31,820, for wages earned in the four months before liquidation, holiday pay and redundancy compensation. employment.govt.nz
Sources
- David Jones to shutter 19 stores nationally, with thousands of jobs expected to be axedThe Nightly, Nov 11
- David Jones in NZ to close after collapse of Australian department store giantStuff, Nov 11
- David Jones' sole NZ store to close downInside Retail New Zealand, Nov 11