Department store David Jones celebrated the start of Chinese New Year this week with a string of in-store and online activations.
The celebrations included a series of commemorative window displays in the David Jones Elizabeth Street and Market Street Sydney stores and in its Bourke Street Sydney store, in addition to an in-store appearance by Fashion Ambassador Jessica Gomes and two traditional Chinese lion dancers.
Specially created Chinese New Year Gift Cards are now also available in all David Jones stores and online and specific outposts have been created throughout a number of David Jones stores highlighting Chinese New Year gifts.
The gift suggestions have been tailored to celebrate the Year of the Horse and the concepts of newness and good fortune in the signature Chinese celebration colours of gold and red.
The suggested Chinese New Year gift ideas range from gold Jimmy Choo shoes to Godiva special edition Chinese New Year chocolates and exclusive Chinese New Year Glasshouse candles in ‘Hong Kong’.
Commenting on the launch of this first-time initiative, David Jones CEO and managing director Paul Zahra said it is a step in the right direction for the future of the company.
"David Jones has a proud 175 year retail history. Over this period we have seen our customer base grow and evolve. Today our customers reflect Australia's proud multi cultural heritage and it makes sense for us to celebrate this heritage on special occasions such as Chinese New Year. We welcome customers to come in store or to visit us online and to help us celebrate this special time of the year.”
In May 2013 David Jones became the first Australian department store to accept UnionPay as a method of payment in its stores. UnionPay is the national Chinese credit and debit card. It has more than 3.5 million cards on issue, making it the largest card program in the world.
David Jones has confirmed that, over the next two weeks, it will also offer UnionPay cardholders a $50 David Jones gift card for every $500 spent on their card with David Jones in one transaction.