Department stores are moving to fewer, better-presented menswear brands rather than wider ranges, according to new research from the International Association of Department Stores (IADS), which also covers the Australian market.
Menswear made up an average of 13 per cent of total turnover across IADS members in 2025-26. Individual members ranged from 6 per cent to 21 per cent, with almost no change on the previous year.
Locally, menswear has been flat at Myer. In its FY26 results for the 52 weeks to July 25, 2026, the Myer Retail segment reported menswear sales growth of 0.1 per cent, behind Kids (4.9 per cent) and Home (5.3 per cent) and slightly below Womenswear (0.2 per cent). Beauty fell 3.9 per cent.
Online was a bright spot, as it was across IADS members. Myer Retail's online sales rose 4.2 per cent, helped by a 5.8 per cent lift in Marketplace, while store sales fell 0.3 per cent. Total Myer Retail sales rose 0.7 per cent to $3.33 billion.
Myer also refreshed its menswear brands during the year. It relaunched its five key Myer Exclusive Brands across menswear and womenswear (There After, Blaq, Basque, Regatta and Grab) and added 31 new brands across the two categories.
The IADS report also noted that digital sales rose for most of its members and averaged 22 per cent of menswear turnover, although results varied widely between stores.
Meanwhile, the price mix moved upmarket. On a like-for-like basis, contemporary and premium grew from 34 per cent to 43 per cent of menswear. High-street and mid-range fell from 35 per cent to 31 per cent, and entry-level dropped from 12 per cent to 7 per cent. Luxury and affordable luxury together held at 19 per cent.
The study found best-seller lists were dominated by established international names, led by Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger. Depending on the store and market, Lacoste, Moncler, Emporio Armani, Levi's and Brooks Brothers followed.
Members now see that concentration as a weakness, because the results of one or two partners can move the whole department. The study found adding more brands was not the answer, since it lowered productivity per brand and diluted the labels customers came in for.
Instead, members were working their core brands harder. Manor in Switzerland used concessions, stronger visual merchandising and activations, including a Boss beachwear pop-up. John Lewis in London reported clear gains from upgraded shop fits and dedicated staff on major international brands. Mexican chain El Palacio de Hierro saw the same effect with wholesale partners, where dedicated brand ambassadors outperformed generalist floor staff.
Members were still looking for new labels that could scale. Carhartt sold through strongly and suited department store assortments, but distribution restrictions limited how far it could grow.
New additions came from three directions, including Brunello Cucinelli and Tom Ford in luxury, Arket and A.P.C. in the contemporary space, and Fear of God in the streetwear space.
Accessories and sportswear were named as key growth areas in the IADS study. The shared view was that one hero brand does not make a category, and a credible offer needs a deep roster. In sportswear, On was reported as a leading men's footwear brand and Lululemon as a strong growth driver.
The report also found women made more than half of menswear purchases at several department stores. Recruiting younger male shoppers remained a work in progress, with questions over how much they could spend. Some members were preparing specific credit solutions to help.
On store design, IADS partner Newstores said most men arrive knowing what they want, so the job is to make that product easy to find. Overcrowded floors and competing concessions work against this, which puts the traditional racetrack layout in question.
The report concluded that department stores were well placed for this shift, because editing a multi-brand offer into a coherent proposition is what the format was built for.