There is no other store like David Jones and this might be the reason why

It's hard to see houndstooth print and not think of David Jones.

The 188-year-old department store has made its mark on Australian history — surviving two world wars, the invention of the car and discount alternatives, all while smelling strongly of the Miss Dior perfume that inspired the trademark.

But as the retail landscape changes and David Jones loses the service and expertise that made it like no other store, the company finds itself clinging on for survival.

'The best and most exclusive'

David Jones began as a small drapery in 1838 and was opened by its namesake on the corner of George and Barrack Streets in Sydney. 

David Jones, the man, was a Welsh immigrant with a mission to sell "the best and most exclusive goods".

It wasn't until 38 years later that it transformed into a "universal provider", the same way most department stores came about. 

"In Australia [department stores] dominated retailing in terms of market share and sales up until the middle of the 20th century," Macquaire University retail historian Matthew Bailey said.

"They also, in the early 20th century, developed their own manufacturing plants. So they're formative in the industrialisation of Australia."

In the 1870s David's son Edward had the vision to have customers enjoy browsing luxury accessories and gourmet meals while they waited for their clothing to be tailored.

But it was David's grandson, Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, the last Jones to preside over the company, who turned the store into what Australians grew to love.

The patron of the arts

An artist by trade with a savvy business mind, Sir Charles sought to connect the retail world to the art world.

"Everything he does is instinct with artistic niceness, yet he is recognised in three continents as a business magnate," a biography published in Smith's Weekly said.

He travelled the world bringing both fashions and items back to Australia.

"One of the hallmarks of David Jones in its heyday was beautifully designed stores, beautiful products," University of New South Wales design historian Mark Ian Jones said.

Sir Charles opened the Elizabeth Street store in Sydney, established the David Jones Art Gallery, took a unique approach to advertising, and harnessed connections with department stores and artists across the globe.

Even Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip dined at the Great Restaurant on level 7 during a state banquet at the time.

During his 38-year tenure as chair, Sir Charles oversaw fashion parades that brought designs from Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior to Australia, and hosted exhibits dedicated to different countries including Sweden, Italy and Britain.

As Sir Charles put it himself during an address to members of the Royal Historical society in 1955: 

"We keep the public up-to-the-minute in the realms of fashion.

"We have art exhibitions, and thus add to the culture of the community.

"We have shows of various kinds which help to educate the people in better taste. 

"People come to David Jones's to see all these new ideas, for they find under our roof the treasures of the world."

A wondrous occasion

Many Australians hold fond memories of the department store.  

A trip to David Jones was an occasion. 

"Many Australians will recall quite nostalgically going into the city, dressing up in their best outfits, travelling into the city with their mum, maybe with their aunty and their grandma even, and [having a] full day out," Dr Bailey said.

"It's exciting and it's wondrous and there's huge buildings and there's the ride up and down the escalators, and you check out the toy section and you get something to eat, and that includes in these food halls.

"It's not something we do anymore so much."

The window displays were curated expertly, often by former theatre set designers, with the store turning things up a notch over Christmas.

It was about the experience — something upcoming retailers are starting to realise is a key part of success.

Glamorous fashion parades were held on level 7 of the Elizabeth Street store, with supermodels Megan Gale and Miranda Kerr becoming the face of the brand through the early 2000s.

But as time went on the food halls disappeared, the Christmas windows were cancelled and there were no more supermodel ambassadors.

Cars and discounts

David Jones survived economic ebbs and flows during its early days, but the invention of the car was one of the most serious threats to department stores.

Department stores were built in the centres of all the capital cities and in some regional towns, close to where people lived.

But the car saw populations move out to the suburbs and a trip to the city became difficult due to traffic congestion and parking.

"The car is as big a disruptor to retailing or was as big a disruptor to retailing as online retailing has been recently because it changes the way people access shops," Dr Bailey said.

Department stores had a choice, adapt or go bust.

David Jones (and its long-time rival Myer) survived by acquiring smaller department stores, turning into chains and ensuring they had a home in the growing number of suburban shopping centres.

But at the same time another threat appeared: Target, Kmart and Big W.

These discount department stores offered goods at prices not seen before by using a supermarket style, labour efficient model.

"That essentially wipes out all of the small suburban and country department stores and places intense cost pressure on the large traditional department stores," Dr Bailey said.

David Jones's position as an upmarket retailer helped it survive, but it was not completely immune as the company started to think about the cost of labour — a moment the historians can pinpoint as the start of its decline.

"Walking to David Jones today is such an entirely different experience to walking to David Jones, 30 or 40 years ago, and certainly 60 or 70 years ago, when there were thousands of staff on hand," Dr Bailey said.

"There was four full sales staff at a service desk in the store … who were trained in customer service, who may have worked in the store for 40 years. 

"They knew customers by name, knew how to fit shoes, how to fit bras, how to do the quality of the fabrics, the materials used, all the different materials and timbers used in furniture, the qualities of those timbers and how to care for them and look after them.

"Incredibly detailed and knowledgeable customer service that was essential to the department stores all started evaporating from the 1980s onwards."

Concession stores and category killers

One way David Jones saved money was introducing the concession pad — a store within a store — something that has since come back to bite.

Dr Bailey said the early suburban shopping centres were built with department stores taking up about half of the floor space, with a few specialty stores.

But as the shopping centres grew, that percentage of floor space shrunk and a new type of store, the category killer, (such as JB Hi-Fi, Rebel Sports, Office Works) began to emerge.

"The problem was that a shopping centre is really a larger, more productive, more efficient, more flexible department store," he said.

"Why would you go into a shopping centre inside David Jones … to a Country Road concession pad within David Jones, when you're already in the shopping centre and you can go to the larger Country Road store 50 metres down the concourse?"

The concession model created a secondary merchandising problem. 

Products were grouped by brand instead of type.

"It made the customer service worse, it made the shopping experience worse," Dr Bailey said.

Walk into a David Jones today and if you are lucky enough to even find a staff member you have to hope they are not tied to a concession store if you want to receive service.

Searching for a brown jacket means exploring several square footages of the store as the brands lay separate from each other.

Long gone are the days that staff were given handbook ensuring deep knowledge and outstanding service.

But there is still a chance for David Jones.

"We have a well-developed plan on how to reset the business for the future and will be working with the Administrators, the Receivers and our secured lender as we continue to pursue that reset of the business," current chief executive Erica Berchtold said. 

Dr Jones said a level of vision seen by the likes of Sir Charles was needed for the company to survive.

And both experts agree, as the jingle goes, there is no other store like David Jones.