A war of words has erupted between the former high-profile chief executive of David Jones, Mark McInnes, and his replacement, Paul Zahra, about who is to blame for the poor performance of the high-end department store group.

McInnes has hit back at what he believes are suggestions by Zahra that some of the problems at David Jones were the result of this actions or inactions while he was in the job.

The once highly profitable retailer is now forecasting profit will fall in the first half of this financial year by up to 20 percent.