Queenstown H&J Smith closure confirmed
H&J Smith Group has confirmed 18 November will be the last day of trading for its Remarkables Park Queenstown, Invercargill and Gore stores.
The company announced the expected closures back in May and has now finished the four-week consultation process with staff, suppliers and customers.
Around 220 people will lose their jobs, including 190 in its flagship Invercargill store, 20 in Queenstown and four in Gore.
The Mitre10 MEGA Invercargill & Mitre10 MEGA Queenstown and Laser Electrical remain unaffected by this announcement and will operate as usual.
"We know this is difficult news for our staff and community," CEO John Green says. "Supporting our team through this challenging time remains our top priority."
The stores will be closed today (Tuesday, 27 June) he says, "to give our team the space and time to absorb the news".
The H&J Smith group continues to work closely with staff members who will be impacted, Green says.
The company has identified some areas of the business where there could be opportunity for them to continue independently from the H&J Smith brand. Discussions are currently underway with several interested parties and hope to release details in the coming weeks
School uniforms and specialist lingerie fitting services are two areas of the business that H&J Smith have focused on to ensure continuity of service for their customers.
"We know these services are vital to our customers and community. Finding a solution for both has been a priority for us, and I am pleased to confirm we will soon make an announcement regarding the future of these services," Green says.
While the HJS flagship store in Invercargill requires significant remediations to the existing building to ensure it meets 100% NBS, there is no information yet to share about the future of the building or site.
H&J Smith Group Managing Director Jason Smith says: "Our priority has been our people and determining the future of the business. It’s only now that it’s appropriate for us to discuss potential uses for the building and site. We feel very strongly, however, that the community has an opportunity to assist in the creation of new vision for this space."
He thanked those who made submissions during the consultation process.
"While we received good feedback, most of it centred on specific factors, such as building remediation or supplier issues, rather than a collective consideration of all factors behind this decision. In the end however, it was clear our proposal to call time on the Department Store business is the right decision for the H&J Smith Group," Smith says.
In the coming weeks and months more announcements will be made. H & J Smith will be communicating directly with account holders regarding the future use of the H & J Smith card.
"Our team and management have really appreciated the incredible customer support through this difficult process. On their behalf, we would like to thank the community for these kind words, stories, and wishes shared with us over the last four weeks," Smith says.
"It’s been a great privilege to hear what H & J Smith has meant to the Invercargill, and Southland, community for the last 123 years. We have been honoured to have played even a small part in the lives of our wonderful community."
The H&J Smith Group started as a Department Store business in 1900 and is one of New Zealand's oldest retailers.
