Paul Zahra
McInnes hits back at Zahra in DJs stoush
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.
David Jones faces challenging Christmas
The Christmas period will be a challenging one for Australia's retail industry, David Jones CEO Paul Zahra says.
Speaking at the department store's annual general meeting on Friday, Zahra said David Jones stores, offers and staff have never been better.
David Jones restated its expectations of a 15 to 20 percent decline in first half after tax profit a week ago. Zahra said at the time there had been an improvement in trading during October and November, and sales of Christmas items had increased compared with the prior year.
Retail war in Australia: Zahra v Zara, Zara winning
David Jones CEO Paul Zahra found plenty of excuses for profit downgrade – it was the Reserve Bank's fault for interest rate fears, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott for carbon tax concern, the internet for online shopping, the world for the Australian dollar and no doubt God for the Queensland floods and cyclone. It seemed just about everyone was to blame except David Jones for failing to adapt to the new normal.
