David Jones' receivers have confirmed that 19 of its 38 stores will close, with the affected stores expected to stop trading by the end of 2026. Staff were told this week and have a seven-day consultation period. For a worker with three and a half years' service on $1,200 a week, the National Employment Standards minimum is 7 weeks' redundancy pay ($8,400) plus 3 weeks' notice ($3,600), before leave payouts. Here is what the closures mean for staff, shoppers and gift card holders, in dollars.
Which David Jones stores are closing?
Receivers FTI Consulting confirmed the 19 sites this week (widely reported on 11 November 2026), less than a week after the retailer entered voluntary administration. McGrathNicol is the administrator and is running a sale or recapitalisation process.
| State | Stores closing |
|---|---|
| NSW (7) | Green Hills, Hornsby, Macarthur Square, Macquarie Centre, Parramatta, Warringah Mall, Wollongong Central |
| VIC (3) | Glen Waverley, Highpoint, Malvern Central |
| WA (3) | Carousel, Garden City, Hay Street Mall |
| QLD (2) | Robina Town Centre, Sunshine Plaza |
| SA (2) | Marion, West Lakes |
| ACT (1) | Woden |
| New Zealand (1) | Newmarket |
The other 19 stores keep trading while the sale process runs. Country Road Group has also said it plans to exit nearly 100 concession spaces inside David Jones stores in early 2027, which may affect concession staff who are not David Jones employees.
Does this affect me? The decision table
| You are… | What happens now | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| A David Jones employee at a closing store | Wages continue while you work; consultation runs 7 days | Ask in writing for your service date, leave balances and which agreement applies. |
| A permanent employee elsewhere in the business | Your store keeps trading for now | Update your records anyway: payslips, leave balance, super statement. |
| A casual employee | NES redundancy pay generally does not apply to casuals | Check your agreement and ask about notice and any final pay owed. |
| A concession worker (another brand) | Your employer is the brand, not David Jones | Ask your own employer what the closures mean for your role. |
| A shopper with a gift card | Depends on what the receivers allow | Check the official David Jones site and use the card sooner rather than later. |
| A supplier or creditor | Proofs of debt due before the first creditors' meeting | Lodge your proof of debt by the deadline set by the administrator. |
Your redundancy pay, calculated
Under the Fair Work Act's National Employment Standards, the minimum redundancy pay depends on your continuous service. An enterprise agreement can set different amounts, and the SDA says the 2024 David Jones Enterprise Agreement covers 4,644 employees, so check your agreement: it decides what applies to you. These are minimums for permanent employees, at your base rate of pay.
| Continuous service | NES redundancy pay | On $900/week | On $1,200/week | On $1,500/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to under 2 years | 4 weeks | $3,600 | $4,800 | $6,000 |
| 2 to under 3 years | 6 weeks | $5,400 | $7,200 | $9,000 |
| 4 to under 5 years | 8 weeks | $7,200 | $9,600 | $12,000 |
| 5 to under 6 years | 10 weeks | $9,000 | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| 9 to under 10 years | 16 weeks | $14,400 | $19,200 | $24,000 |
| 10 years or more | 12 weeks | $10,800 | $14,400 | $18,000 |
Yes, you read the last row correctly: under the NES, the minimum drops from 16 weeks to 12 weeks at 10 years of service, a quirk that follows a 2004 industrial commission decision. That is why long-serving staff should check their agreement and their long service leave carefully, because leave is paid out separately.
On top of redundancy pay, the NES minimum notice is 1 week (up to 1 year of service), 2 weeks (1–3 years), 3 weeks (3–5 years) or 4 weeks (over 5 years), plus one extra week if you are over 45 with at least 2 years' service. Unused annual leave is paid out too.
A redundancy payment can look like a lot of money. For most households it is a bridge of a few months, so it needs a plan before it lands.
Here is the uncomfortable maths. Take the $1,200-a-week worker with three and a half years' service: 7 weeks' redundancy plus 3 weeks' notice is $12,000 before tax, which is 10 weeks of pay. If the job search takes 4 months, that money has to cover about 17 weeks. Without a plan, the gap shows up in February.
If you work at one of the 19 stores, or anywhere in retail this Christmas, the time to plan is before your final pay arrives, not after.
Layoff-Ready: The Income Shock Playbook
- A first-72-hours checklist: what to ask for in writing and what to file away.
- A runway worksheet that turns your redundancy and leave payout into the number of weeks you can cover.
- A bare-bones budget and bill-priority list for the months between jobs.
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See what's inside →What about my entitlements if the business is sold or wound up?
The receivers have told staff they expect "sufficient realisations" to pay entitlements in full. Under federal law, pre-appointment wages and entitlements are generally paid ahead of other creditors. That is an expectation, not a guarantee.
The government's Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) is a safety net, but it only applies when an employer is in liquidation or bankruptcy, not during administration or receivership. If it were ever needed, FEG covers up to 13 weeks of unpaid wages, annual leave, long service leave, up to 5 weeks' pay in lieu of notice and up to 4 weeks' redundancy pay per full year of service, but not unpaid super. Reports say David Jones was up to date with super payments.
Gift cards: what to do this week
We covered this in detail when the administration began: see David Jones gift cards: 9 steps before administrators decide. In short, check the official David Jones website for the current position, use cards at a trading store if they are being honoured, and keep your card number and receipt. Retail consultants expect discounting and stock clearance at closing stores before they shut, so compare prices before assuming a "closing down" price is a bargain.
A 5-step checklist for staff
- Get your continuous service date, annual leave and long service leave balances in writing.
- Find your enterprise agreement or award and the redundancy clause in it.
- Download your last 3 payslips and your latest super statement.
- Work out your runway: total expected payout after tax ÷ your monthly essential costs.
- Check Services Australia for income support rules and any waiting periods before you need them.
More help: our 8 redundancy scripts for Australia help you ask the right questions, the Canva layoffs redundancy calculator shows more examples, and how big an emergency buffer should be covers the next step. Moneysmart has free tools for managing a redundancy payout, and the Fair Work Ombudsman can answer questions about your entitlements. If the news feels overwhelming, talk to someone you trust; you do not need to sort this out alone.
FAQ
Which David Jones stores are closing?
Nineteen sites: Green Hills, Hornsby, Macarthur Square, Macquarie Centre, Parramatta, Warringah Mall and Wollongong Central (NSW); Glen Waverley, Highpoint and Malvern Central (VIC); Carousel, Garden City and Hay Street Mall (WA); Robina Town Centre and Sunshine Plaza (QLD); Marion and West Lakes (SA); Woden (ACT); and Newmarket (NZ).
When will the David Jones stores close?
The receivers expect the 19 stores to stop trading by the end of 2026. Exact dates for each store had not been announced on 11 November.
How much redundancy pay will David Jones staff get?
The NES minimum ranges from 4 weeks' pay (1–2 years' service) to 16 weeks (9–10 years), but the enterprise agreement may set different amounts. Notice and unused leave are paid on top.
Sources
- Fair Work Ombudsman – Notice of termination and redundancy pay fact sheet
- Fair Work Ombudsman – Redundancy pay and entitlements
- ABC News – Business live, 11 November 2026 (David Jones closures)
- Yahoo Finance Australia – David Jones will close 19 stores
- HRD Australia – David Jones to close half its stores
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Educational content only. Not personalised financial advice.