MELBOURNE: David Jones has locked in a department store exclusive with womenswear labels Carla Zampatti and Bianca Spender.
The deal means both labels will no longer be available in Myer stores from autumn/winter 2010.
Designer Carla Zampatti said the decision to sign exclusively with David Jones was not taken lightly, as she had a presence in Myer for many years.
"However, over the last few years we have experienced a great deal of success in our David Jones stores, and this exclusivity agreement fits with our strategy of growth," she said.
Designer Bianca Spender, who is Zampatti's daughter and stocks her collection in Zampatti's stand alone stores, said David Jones would cultivate the distinction between the two labels in dedicated, branded spaces.
The announcement follows information provided to Ragtrader about the stage two developments of the revamped Bourke Street Melbourne store.
David Jones group general manager of apparel, cosmetics and accessories, Colette Garnsey, said it will comprise a 20 per cent boost in womenswear floor space.
Garnsey said three floors of themed precincts will feature dedicated, branded spaces for fashion labels.
"We think about it in terms of ‘worlds', so there will be a young fashion urban world with denim adjacent to that; there will be young designer labels like sass & bide and Alannah Hill," Garnsey said. "There will be a world of contemporary brands such as Veronika Maine, Witchery, Sportscraft and Saba and some great new brands like Hammock & Vine coming into that area as well as a Metalicus concept."
For more information on the new womenswear development pick up the November 20 issue of Ragtrader.