Myer will halve the size of its head office in keeping with chief executive John King’s commitment to reduce wasted space across the business.

The new head office on La Trobe Street, Docklands will be completed in Q4 2021 and will encompass levels six to ten – a total space of 12,500 sqm. The building is to be the first major of the Digital Harbour precinct and will allow for a more appropriately sized head office, said King.

“The decision to move our [store support office] is in line with our customer first plan to ensure we are operating in the most efficient and productive way, and that we have an office environment that allows us to support our store team members in the best possible way,” said King.

The announcement comes after the business cut 35 roles in its head office in January, largely from management, business support and administrative roles, to improve management structure and remove duplicate roles. 

The cuts brought the number of roles removed under King’s customer first plan to over 120 in recent years, in an effort to reduce space and costs while raising efficiency across the Myer business. 

“There’s been much talk about the death of the department store both around this country and globally in the last 10 years,” King told shareholders at the department store retailers’ annual general meeting.

“But I do believe there is a relevance for department stores, but we have to reinvent ourselves and make ourselves appropriate for what our customers want in this ever-changing marketplace.”