Australian department stores ripe for disruption, warns M&C Saatchi retail leader

June 23, 2016 9:51

As M&C Saatchi begins to roll out its fresh take on Woolworths, and the brand itself promotes smaller Metro stores in CBD locations, the head of the agency’s retail division has warned that Australian department stores are ripe for disruption.

John Lewis Howard Spreadbury, M&C Saatchi’s head of retail, told the Australian Institute of Marketing CX Marketing Summit that the retail sector most ready to be disrupted by new thinking was Australia’s department stores, tiered by the likes of Myer and David Jones.

He said Australia lagged behind the US and UK in creating experiences in stores that engaged consumers in a way that was happening overseas.

“If you look at what is happening in Australian retail versus in the States or the UK, we don’t have the John Lewis or the Selfridges or the Harvey Nichols here,” Spreadbury said.

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Simon Canning

Simon Canning was Mumbrella's marketing and advertising editor from 2015-2017. In a career spanning journalism and communications over more than 30 years Simon has become one of Australia’s most respected analysts and commentators on the advertising, marketing and media industries. A regular commentator on radio and TV, Simon has also worked in media in the US and UK .

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