Myer executive chairwoman Olivia Wirth is facing increasingly restless shareholders who are demanding details about the retailer’s new strategy, including an explanation of how a merger with Solomon Lew’s ageing but profitable apparel brands will work.

Ms Wirth, who was appointed in March, has moved quickly to instigate a review of the mid-market department store’s operations. She has proposed buying a portfolio of brands – Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Jacqui E and Dotti – owned by billionaire businessman Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments, Myer’s largest shareholder.