List of stores to shut as Sydney shopping centres remain open

Sydney staff have been notified that they will be stood down without pay as a number of retail stores close in mass numbers. Here are the retail giants which will shutdown despite shopping centres remaining open.

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Shopping centres remain open but there will be no one in them as tens of thousands of staff are stood down as coronavirus hits the retail sector hard.

Accent Group Limited, owner of shoe retail brands including The Athlete’s Foot, Hype DC and Platypus, will shut all Australian stores at 5pm Friday, resulting in 4500 staff being out of work.

Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments, owner of retail stores including Just Jeans, Smiggle and Peter Alexander, has stood down 9000 staff worldwide while Flight Centre will stand down about 3800 sales and support staff.

Flight Centre is standing down 3800 staff as countries lockdown their borders and prevent travel.

“It is terrible but as CEO of this business I have a duty to look after my team and their welfare,” Accent Group Limited chief executive officer Daniel Agostinelli told The Daily Telegraph.

“The Government has simply said that you need to have a metre and a half distance between each other, how can I sell shoes? I feel for the team that are there and unfortunately we have made this decision and we will close all 500 stores, except for some Athlete’s Foot franchise stores that may want to continue.”

Staff have been notified that they will be stood down without pay for an initial four week period.

Premier Investments brands also include Jay Jays, dotti, Jacqui E and portmans.

Retail foot traffic has been in freefall since early last week, when it dropped by about 30 per cent and was down by around 60 per cent by Friday.

This week, traffic has been down around 80 per cent as the Government takes increased measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

General Pants Australia has closed its 56 stores nationally.

Just Jeans is among a list of iconic retailers to close stores during the crisis.

Accent Group’s range of stores also include Dr Martens, CAT, Merrell, Palladium, Platypus, Skechers, Sperry, Saucony, Stance, Trybe, Sneaker Lab, Timberland, Vans and Supra.

The flow on impact will be massive to the Australian businesses that supply Accent Group with product as orders have been cancelled or postponed, even those that had already been made and were ready for dispatch over the coming days.

Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments will also stand down its full executive team, which will work from home for either no pay or by taking their leave entitlements.

“This is the hardest decision ever made by Premier — our team are our family and we want to do everything we can to keep them employed, but we believe that it is necessary and the

right decision for them, their families, our customers, and the country,” Premier Retail chief executive Mark McInnes said, himself working from home without pay.

Mr McInnes said that in Australia Premier Retail had close to 70 per cent of stores already in handover or with leases due to expire this year that allows the company maximum flexibility with store rental.

“These extraordinary circumstances mean Premier intends not to pay any rent globally for the duration of the shutdown,” Mr McInnes said.