For 188 years, DJs told upper-middle Australia what the good life looked like. The houndstooth, the food halls, the season launches and the Christmas windows all built the brand’s status as a cultural institution.

It was where we went for a wedding present or first good suit. To discover new products and brands we couldn’t find elsewhere, selected by people who literally combed the world for new and delightful offerings.

That kind of cultural authority was very hard to build and has been on a declining trajectory for a couple of decades.

We will miss the moments more than the products. Nobody will struggle to buy a handbag next week, but we’re losing a place of rituals and memorable moments. A day in the city, meeting someone for bubbles in the food hall, the sense of a store as a civic place that celebrates the seasons and special occasions. A treat you could enjoy even if your spending was limited to some nice socks or a lipstick. Our CBDs are losing a landmark that brought generations together.

So, what went wrong? From a brand perspective, a large part of the undoing was DJs’ drift from curator to landlord, at the expense of its unique customer value proposition (CVP).

DJs increasingly ran on a concession model, where the brands owned the space and the inventory. This was good for cash flow but not so good for the brand – well, the DJs brand at least. Every counter started to feel like a second-rate version of the brand’s own boutique, so shoppers started to question what DJs gave them that they couldn’t get in the shopping mall outside.

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