1995: David Jones abandons Antiques

Older readers might remember when it was possible to buy antiques at David Jones. In 1995, they made a decision to pull out of the antiques business. The reason was due to customer preferences but also changes to tax laws.

Source: Lamont, M. 1995. "Antiques are now becoming a thing of the past for David Jones". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 7: 5.

The article refers to "target marketing" where department stores focus on providing products that consumers would expect out of a department store. In the 1990's the focus was on fashion, entertainment and homewares. 

In the past decade, the focus has narrowed further with a greater focus on fashion. This has come at the expense of other departments, which have either shrunk or been eliminated altogether. Could this be one factor contributing to their difficulty to compete with other speciality stores and online retailers?