Jindalee DFO: nightmare or top seller?

BRISBANE: Allegations that Direct Factory Outlets (DFO)'s most recently opened Brisbane store is under-performing have triggered mixed responses from fashion retailers.

According to a report earlier this month in business title Inside Retailing, tenants of the new outlet – located in the up-and-coming Brisbane suburb of Jindalee – were attempting to quit their leases or negotiate better terms due to lacklustre traffic flow and poor planning. 

The news followed negative coverage in Queensland broadsheet the Brisbane Times, which named inadequate parking as just one of the centre's woes when it opened last November.

DFO Jindalee's fashion offer includes a wide range of retail brands including womenswear labels David Lawrence, Jacqui E and Portmans, menswear label Tarocash, men's and women's fashion label Politix and a host of other high recall casual, youth, childrenswear, footwear and accessories brands.

Ragtrader spoke to several fashion retailers at the centre who declined to be named but confirmed they were "disappointed" with its performance. While citing poor parking and inadequate advertising as the main reasons for this, the retailers claimed they were committed to staying at the centre long term.

"I think things will definitely improve over time. I'd give it another year before really starting to worry, but it definitely needs more advertising support," said one, adding there had been "only two weekend advertisements per night around the time of the launch" and "no advertising at all" since.

Tarocash general manager Ollie Olstein said he was "very surprised" to learn of reports the centre was underperforming. "The Jindalee store has certainly met with our expectations," he said. Olstein declined to comment on DFO Jindalee's advertising but confirmed parking facilities at the centre seemed smaller than usual.

Politix managing director Peter Sitch also said his Jindalee store was performing "in line with expectations", describing the issue of parking as nothing more than "a teething problem".

Managers at two more fashion stores, who declined to be named, also said they were happy with their performance to date. DFO CEO Geoff Porz admitted one complaint had been leveled at management but no negative feedback was received from fashion retailers at the centre.

"We had a complaint from one food retailer and that was it," he said. "This retailer was doing 25 per cent of its neighbour’s trade and in a situation like that our advice would be that the retailer looks at their own business."
In terms of traffic access and parking, there were no issues whatsoever with the centre, he said. Porz described claims of inadequate advertising as "rubbish".

"We’ve spent as much money advertising that centre as we do on all our other centres."

By Belinda Smart