By CASEY NEILL
DANDENONG Plaza traders fear Myer’s departure next month will destroy the struggling shopping centre.
A Myer spokeswoman said the Dandenong store represented less than 1 per cent of total group sales and most customers were instead shopping at the new Fountain Gate store.
She said the Plaza shop was expected to close in late October and all staff would be redeployed.
JB Hi Fi, Trade Secret, Daiso and Aldi are to take Myer’s place as part of an upgrade.
“We anticipate that the introduction of the four powerhouse mini-majors will draw significantly more people and drive higher sales,” Dandenong Plaza centre manager Mark Tannahill said.
Construction works are to begin before the end of the year with the four new retailers to open late next year.
Mr Tannahill said centre management was “well aware of the importance of activation and marketing strategies to minimise the impact on the centre during the upgrades”.
He said management had an open-door policy with retailers to ensure that any concerns raised during the construction period were “met with swift and effective actions”.
Rita McCrae from Menzline, just a few doors from the department store, told The Journal that Myer was the centre’s drawcard.
“I just think it’s really disappointing and it’s going to affect the Plaza something shocking,” she said.
“It’s going to destroy the Plaza. There’s nothing that the Plaza has to offer anyone.
“It’s pretty hard as it is now. Once we don’t have Myer…”
Ms McCrae has worked at the centre for 20 years.
“I’ve seen it all,” she said.
“It’s sad. It’s almost like an icon of Dandenong going.
“I think they need to have some real shops in here – not more $2 shops.”
She said the centre needed a facelift to combat the retail battle with online shopping, and even suggested making the centre a factory outlet.
“Everyone’s on sale 12 months of the year anyway,” she said.
“I think something like that would do really well here.”
Other traders told The Journal that losing Myer was a big blow, but they hoped JB Hi Fi and the Aldi would bring in new customers.
“Myer’s gone down in sales, it’s not generating customers into the centre,” one said.
Committee for Dandenong chairman Gary Castricum said the move was probably a positive for Dandenong.
“It’s going to make the centre probably larger and more usable for a lot of the people coming to Dandenong,” he said.
“The old configuration of Myer, I think it was good at the time but the whole structure of the centre and the Myer building needs a change.”
Dandenong Retail Trader’s Association (DRTA) chairwoman Glenys Cooper said the move would certainly have an impact, but Myer Dandenong had been underperforming.
“It certainly will be a loss, though,” she said.
