David Jones chief executive David Thomas is as excited as anyone about the new world-class David Jones opening in Wollongong on Thursday morning.
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Mr Thomas is expecting plenty of people to turn out early eager to have a chance of picking up the 100 gifts available when the store opens and a free coffee even before the ribbon cutting at 8.45am and afterwards with any purchase in the store.
He said the best place for people to wait before the opening will be the lower level of the Gateway Centre at the bottom of the escalator near TK Maxx and Rivers.
He took the media on a walk through of the two fashion levels on Wednesday morning just 24 hours before the scheduled opening time and said 80 additional people had been employed.
Mr Thomas said like everyone else he is very excited about what is happening in the Gateway Centre at Wollongong Central on Thursday when 10 new specialty stores and a new Neil Perry inspired David Jones Food Hall will also open.
“This is the first store that I will be opening as the CEO of David Jones and it is certainly a very exciting opportunity for us as a brand to really create a very special experience here in the heart of Wollongong,” he said.
“And Neil Perry is a very important and a big part of our team and he will be here to help us set up the store.“
The Illawarra Mercury Facebook page will take a look inside the new food hall at 8am on Thursday, an hour before it opens.
Mr Thomas said on the two new fashion and retail levels there were 25 new brands, a new personal shopping suite, new breast screen clinic called the Rose Clinic being run in conjunction with BreastScreen NSW. And the new food service is all new.
Some of the brands in the new David Jones
- Beauty: Laura Mercier, SKII, Yves Saint Laurent
- Womenswear: CAMILLA AND MARC, Camilla, Thurley, Aje, Puma
- Menswear: Simon Carter, Joe Black, Gant, Nautica, Tommy Bahama
- Accessories: Wittner, Nine West, Mimco, Hugo Boss Accessories
Related stories:
- An excited Neil Perry arriving a day early on Wednesday for new David Jones Wollongong opening
- Celebrity chef Neil Perry will be at the opening of the new David Jones and new David Jones Food Hall on Thursday
- All you need to know about the new David Jones and the 10 new speciality shops
- First look at new Wollongong Central hair salon
- Free mammograms at David Jones Rose Clinic Wollongong
- New mural for Globe Lane entry to DJs Food Hall
Everything you need to know new David Jones Wollongong
David Jones chief executive officer David Thomas arrived 24 hour early for Thursday’s 9am opening saying he was as excited as anyone because this was an investment the company took very seriously and considered extremely important.
As a result he said what the Illawarra is getting is second to none.
“David Jones is 179 years old and has been in Wollongong 57 years. 30 years ago we had a big food business before we pulled out,” he said.
David Jones wants to do food and retail even better and Mr Thomas said the company is very proud of what it has created in Wollongong.
“We are now investing in basically becoming the exclusive department store here in the heart of Wollongong. We have 25 new brands and the new Rose Clinic is something we are really proud of. We are working with Breastscreening NSW in having a breast screening facility in the store. We have new services and 80 new team members in the store. There is a lot of new energy, many new brands and there is a big investment in the store. We are really proud of this. We have done everything properly. We have worked with some of the world’s best architects in creating this space. And concentrated on how we can improve the experience with new personal shopping suites and VIP shopping suites.”
Mr Thomas said it was a three level store of 8600sqm. The food hall and some homeware is located on the lower level which can be accessed from a new entrance on Globe Lane and escalators near TK Maxx. And that is where the ribbon cutting will be done at 8.45 on Thursday. Home, menswear and children’s clothing is located on the middle level and the main floor is the women’s floor with an expanded range of beauty products, fashion and accessories.
“What you will see is far more energy and far more retail innovation through every part of the store. Even though it is a similar size to the old store it will feel like there are a lot of new brands, a lot of new products and a lot of new offers within the store. And there genuinely is. We are really excited about that,” he said.
And there are some features exclusive to the Illawarra. “There are a lot of new offer in the store and a lot of new brands across the entire store”.
New David Jones fashion offer
David Jones buying manager Teneille Ferguson said there were many new additions to the fashion offer in Wollongong.
She said the new store had some new departments as a part of a new focus for David Jones. And Wollongong was a select store chosen to stock some new brands.
Women’s apparel runs through the centre of the top level. At one end is intimates and in other sections are footwear and accessories. There is also a young fashion department including some denim brands including new Australian brand called New. The fitting rooms are spacious and designed to create a more social space. And a personal shopping suite can be booked online for a more intimate experience.
“It takes all the hard work out of shopping for new brands. I highly recommend it,” Ms Ferguson said.
Wollongong Central unveils new gateway to shopping haven
Wollongong Central will open the doors on its new-look Gateway Building tomorrow, welcoming a world-class David Jones store along with a dynamic mix of specialty retailers covering fashion, beauty and gifts.
The official festivities will kick off at 8.45am with a ribbon cutting in front of the doors to David Jones which will celebrate the opening of its new world class shopping destination.
The highly anticipated opening of the Illawarra’s first Mecca Maxima store will occur at 9.30am.
David Jones Food Partner Neil Perry will join the opening festivities, marking the first time the department store’s new food offering has been unveiled in a regional area.
Wollongong Central Regional General Manager Antony Keenan said the launch marks another pivotal milestone in the redevelopment of the centre and reinforces its position as the leading retail and food destination in the Illawarra.
“We are proud to welcome 11 new brands to our portfolio of retailers as we strive to create a shopping experience that does Wollongong proud,” he said.
“The opening of the new David Jones store across three levels and featuring the incredible signature food concept developed in partnership with renowned chef Neil Perry has created plenty of buzz and it’s exciting to realise that tomorrow people have the chance to experience it for themselves.
“We know Mecca Maxima store openings always generate plenty of hype so we’re expecting an upbeat vibe from early in the morning and extending not only throughout opening day but right through the weekend with our four-day, centre-wide sale.
“We’re confident our customers are going to love the refurbished Gateway Building and we look forward to welcoming them into the centre on Thursday to enjoy both our new retailers and those that are already well established at Wollongong Central.”