x profit increase by 32.8 per cent year-on-year. Taking the role of executive chair in June 2024 – after starting life at Myer as a non-executive director the year prior – Wirth joined Myer from the transport and tourism industry, where she held senior roles at Qantas, the Tourism and Transport Forum, and the Australian Tourist Commission. Under Wirth, changes to Myer’s portfolio have been continuing apace; the group acquired five apparel brands from Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments in January, and it continues to reshape its beauty portfolio after the conclusion of its 17-year partnership with Mecca. This change to its beauty offering has led to a foray into the premium segment of the market. The group’s chief merchandise officer, Belinda Slifkas, recently dubbed skincare Myer’s “greatest opportunity for growth” following the addition of luxury brands La Mer, Helena Rubinstein, Swiss Perfection, and Guerlain to its product line. But these changes aren’t just visible on the shop floor. Myer’s commitment to its digital platform, Myer One, marks another step in the company’s drive for continued success. “We’re agnostic around the (Myer One) channel, we believe that both it and our stores are important depending on the segment,” Wirth said, after the company boasted its record 5.1 million users of the platform. “This is all powered by having an engaged customer. Our profile continues to expand, and we use that data to inform the products that we sell.” “We have a three-to-five-year strategy here, and we’re on year one.” Could this bullish growth of digital retail spell trouble for the physical presence of a mainstay on Australia’s high streets? Wirth didn’t think so, despite the recent news of the closing of Myer Roselands in Sydney. “Both are important depending on the segment,” she said. “For example, home performs better for us digitally because, as you can imagine, customers don’t want to move big products from stores. But beauty is better in-store, the experience allows the customer to touch and feel the product, this is all about giving the customer a choice and giving a true representation both in-store and online.” Looking into the second half of the fiscal year, Myer said it will continue to optimise its property portfolio, test a new store format, and grow its business-to-consumer platform, Myer Marketplace. Creating a “broad retail” platform is the group’s principal aim in its growth strategy. This strategy, With says, comes at a “difficult” time for the industry. “We have been trading in a fairly difficult environment, and we have had a cautious customer,” she added.  Wirth argued that this caution has led to a “heavy promotional environment”, which Myer continues to trade into. “We expect that to continue,” she said. However, it’s well-documented that this difficult retail environment could get tougher, as supply chains and energy costs feel the pressure from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “We are keeping a close eye on it,” Wirth said. “We will be very focused on our cost of doing business; any impacts that we have on our supply chain, we will keep a close eye on.” But with a business that predominantly conducts its supply chain through Asia, Wirth said that Myer is yet to see any major disruptions. On the inescapable challenge of fuel costs, she added that Myer will closely manage its costs. “We’re alive to the challenges, and we’re watching it closely,” Wirth said. One of Myer’s aims for the remainder of the fiscal year is to create a “long-term” solution for its national distribution centre in Ravenhall, Victoria, following previous failures of its computer systems that led to outsourcing fulfilment to stores.