Myer announces it will reopen all Victorian stores
Myer will reopen all of its Victorian stores next week with new social distancing and safety procedures in place but some services will remain suspended. See how the changes will affect stores.
VIC News
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Myer has confirmed it will finally reopen all of its Victorian stores next Wednesday, two weeks after an easing of restrictions were announced in the state.
The department store has already opened 15 regional and suburban stores in NSW, QLD, WA and SA over the last two weeks and will open an additional eight interstate stores on Friday.
Myer’s flagship store in the Bourke St Mall will open along Chadstone, Northland, Knox City, Ballarat, Bendigo, Doncaster, Eastland, Fountain Gate, Frankston, Geelong, Highpoint, Southland and Werribee stores.
The Myer Highpoint store has been operating as an online fulfilment centre, but has not been open to customers. An employee at the store tested positive to COVID-19 on May 11 and associated team members are now self isolating. There are four other Melbourne stores also currently operating a click and collect service.
New social distancing and safety procedures will be in place, including increased frequency of cleaning services, protective items such as hand sanitiser stations, face masks and gloves available to team members, hand sanitiser available for customers, sneeze guards at registers to be progressively rolled out across the stores, change rooms open with distancing and hygiene measures in place, contactless payments.
In addition, some services will remain suspended to reduce close contact, including beauty appointments, Intimate apparel fittings, Suit fittings and shoe fittings.
Myer is the last major national retailer to reopen its doors and retail experts have speculated one of the reasons may have been they were attempting to renegotiate lease arrangements.
Michael Bate, head of retail for Colliers International, says Myer is trying to use its position as a substantial tenant to negotiate new terms.
“One hundred per cent, that is exactly what is at play. It’s fair to say Myer are using the fact they occupy significant space to come to some new trading terms with the bigger landlords,” he says.
“Whether or not the landlords are going to wear it or not, there is a lease in place and they need to comply with that lease. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be trading if the government has said they can.”
National Retail Association CEO Dominique Lamb says like every business dealing with the devastating fall out of the COVID-19 crisis, Myer will be consolidating and assessing the best way forward.
“I think each individual business has had to take stock of processes and the health of the business. Myer is not immune,” she says.
“It is literally across the board we are seeing smaller footprints and reductions across the industry.”
She says it will also be a strategic decision based on foot traffic around the 14 local stores, after restrictions were only relaxed in Victoria last week.
“There is no doubt that retail leasing has been one of the biggest issues in our industry in the last couple of months,” Ms Lamb says.
“For major businesses, the biggest cost is labour and occupancy. At a time when we have consumers tightening their belts, there is no doubt they will be looking at leasing and tenancy and the best way forward.”
RMIT University marketing expert Con Stavros says the reputation of the department store should not be impacted by the fact they are slow to reopen.
“I don’t think it damages the brand at all in the bigger scheme of things. There are unique circumstances at present, so consumer tolerance and understanding is exceptionally high,” he says.
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