The 'new' MYER is rocking the suburbs

The 'new' Myer is rocking the suburbs

• Catie Low
  
  • Myer's newest store reveals how the grand old dame of department stores plan to tap into the suburban psyche with its first investment in a property outside its flagship stores.

The Werribee store showcases about half the brands in one of Myer's big city stores but the range features a number of high-profile youth labels, showcased across a flexible floor space that blends the clean lines of contemporary design with the service efficiencies of the discount operators.
The new store features 80 new brands, including TOPSHOP and TOPMAN as well as MAC Cosmetics, homeware favourites KitchenAid and Dyson with just two cashier counters at either end of the shop floor.
Myer deputy chief Daniel Bracken said the collection of brands as well as the design was carefully crafted to fit with the young demographic of the surrounding suburbs, in one of Melbourne's biggest growth corridors.

Myer chief merchandise and marketing officer and deputy CEO Daniel Bracken at Myer's Werribee store. Photo: Wayne Taylor
Mr Bracken said the Werribee store was Myer's first truly localised store, build on data collected about the wants and needs of shoppers in the local area.
"This isn't the traditional department store model, which is cookie cutter ... and that's one of the things that under 'New Myer' we see as essential," Mr Bracken said.

"By understanding the customer segments and the demographic in that area and aligning our offer, we're aligning our in-store service model to work best with that customer."
He said the inclusion of global blockbuster brands like TOPSHOP and TOPMAN reflected the youthfulness of the area and the demand for a label otherwise only in Myer's top-flight stores.
The traditional tiled walkway is nowhere to be seen in the new Myer design and the blond timber flooring provides the flexibility to increase or decrease the retail real estate dedicated to any one brand.
The service counters have been consolidated to just two banks at opposite ends of the shop floor, similar to the design of contemporary discount department stores and Myer is stocking these payment hubs with smaller, add-on items to maximise the selling opportunities right up until the last minute.
The new-look Myer is three times the size of the former Werribee
store and features an expanded range of toys and travel goods as well as an in-store cafe.
It incorporates online retail through its digital hub, which centralises Myer's click and collect services, free Wi-Fi as well as smart phone recharging services.
The launch of Werribee comes 10 months after Myer chief Richard Umbers unveiled the $600 million turnaround strategy for Myer, which included its purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the Australian franchisee for fast fashion brand TOPSHOP.
The plan to halt a 20-year sales decline targeted fashion-conscious women through a smaller store network and a focus on its lucrative, flagship stores in the big cities.
Analysts suggest Myer needs to shut as many as 20 of its 76 stores and it's already announced plans to close its Brookside store in Brisbane.
Unseasonably warm weather in the early weeks of winter hurt early season sales at Myer and David Jones this year and analysts claim it forced the chains into early discounting to move stock.
However the South-African owned David Jones reported 7 per cent growth in comparable sales for the 52 weeks to June 26, compared to Myer, which revealed a better-than-expected 2.1 per cent lift in its third-quarter sales.
Despite trailing David Jones, Myer's full-year result is expected to come in at the top of its guidance range of between $66 million-$72 million.