{"id":49688,"date":"2014-04-11T20:03:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-12T00:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/forex-news\/?p=49688"},"modified":"2014-04-11T20:03:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-12T00:03:00","slug":"why-i-never-bought-david-jones-on-the-australian-share-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex-news\/2014\/04\/11\/why-i-never-bought-david-jones-on-the-australian-share-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Never Bought David Jones On The Australian Share Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

I normally don’t agree with much of the information that comes from the mainstream. But this week, the Age <\/em>took the words right out of my mouth.<\/p>\n

\n

`‘You’ve been told it was the internet, that it was the economy, it was the high wages, the government, the customer, that is was the strong Australian dollar or maybe the weak Australian dollar. <\/em><\/p>\n

‘It was anything but second-rate management and dull boards that were responsible for Australian retail’s poor performance – yet it turns out it was poor management all along.’<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This came about after the South African company Woolworths Holdings [JSE: WHL]<\/strong> proposed a $4 per share premium to buy David Jones [ASX:DJS]<\/strong>. This is equal to 20 times next year’s earnings. This is very high for company with limited growth prospects.<\/p>\n

Don’t be fooled, this international buyer is good news for the Australian retail sector.<\/p>\n

Because Aussies are about to see how it’s done.<\/p>\n

The whispers of a Myer [ASX:MYR]<\/strong> takeover of David Jones sent shivers down my spine. It was one ordinary business making a play for another ordinary business. Myer’s main goals were to save a few bucks in back end operations from a merger, and capitalise on David Jones’ property portfolio. Not transform department store retailing. <\/p>\n

Cost-cutting is hardly inspirational management.  <\/p>\n

However, the vote from DJs shareholders won’t happen until June this year. But in the two days since the announcement, Woolworths have already laid out their vision for the grand dame of Aussie retailing. <\/p>\n

First up, they’re going to train and put on more floor staff. Next, management are going to target the David Jones credit card holders and members of the loyalty programs. And finally, they’ll increase the private label offering from 3% to 20%. <\/p>\n

In retailing, private labels are a higher margin product which offer more control over costs and say in how the final merchandise is sold. <\/p>\n

All this is only what Woolworths plans to do immediately. I’m sure there are a couple more tricks up Woolworths Holdings’ sleeve, because they reckon they’ll increase the bottom line at DJs $130 million per annum by 2019.<\/p>\n

That’s not too shabby at all.<\/p>\n

Just when others were telling us department store retailing was dead in Australia, the chief executive officer of Woolworths Holdings, Ian Moir, said this:<\/p>\n

\n

‘The department store isn’t dead, mediocrity is dead, poor retail is dead, but what is alive is a great department store that can give a great product range, great service, product that is on trend fashionable, great value and experience in stores that you love and that engages you online as well.<\/em>’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Simply put, bad retailers in Australia have had their day. <\/p>\n

Hear me now conservative and short term thinking retail corporate board members. You are about to be shown how it’s done. If online shopping and the recent international brand invasion in Australia didn’t force you to lift your game and stay relevant in the marketplace, then this takeover better.<\/p>\n

A fresh set of money hungry eyes from a country that’s managed to capture a large market share of its rising middle class is a threat to any stagnant retail business.<\/p>\n

\n

Never owned DJs — never will<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

In spite of my keen interest in retail stocks<\/a> in Australia, I’ve never, ever wanted to own David Jones.<\/p>\n

I didn’t want to own them when they were paying a 4% yield in 2007. I still didn’t want them when the company hit $2 billion in turnover in 2008. And I certainly didn’t want them when the company hit 7.7% net profit margin in 2009 (the average for international department stores is 4%). <\/p>\n

In between then and now, the share price fell from $5.80 and scraped along at $2.50 for some months. Still, DJs never looked like a tempting investment option to me.<\/p>\n

Why? Because all this time, David Jones was a retail dinosaur. <\/p>\n

At no point was the company doing anything revolutionary. Never during this time was the company stimulating or changing the market. And as fashion shows became glitzier each season, I saw that as a business trying to hide something.<\/p>\n

And that was that they had nothing progressive or exciting to offer an investor.<\/p>\n

All DJs could muster was the fact that they ‘did good’ at what they did. In the past decade, most of that ‘good’ was knowing consumers had money to spend, and weren’t particularly picky where it was spent.  <\/p>\n

I say ‘good’, because David Jones was never great, at least not in a time I remember. It was just a large-scale retailer. With diverse bulk goods to sell you, and seasonal sales that made you feel like you scored a bargain.<\/p>\n

As an investor, this translated into lower share prices, dwindling dividends and lip service about how times were tough.<\/p>\n

Once the dust settles on the proposed transaction from Woolworths Holdings, I could be very interested in becoming a DJs investor. Simply because I think good management could turn the company around. <\/p>\n

The thing is, they now have a management team that wants DJs to be successful. Let’s be honest, you don’t spend $2.15 billion on 50-odd department stores for short term profits. <\/p>\n

However, investing in DJs once the takeover goes through might not be an option. First, it opens me up to currency risk. The South African Rand has been steadily rising against the Australian dollar<\/a> for the past five years. But this is a moot point as my international stock broking account doesn’t offer shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange anyway.<\/p>\n

This means the only retail stock<\/a> I finally might have an interest in owning isn’t an option.<\/p>\n

However, Australian Small-Cap Investigator<\/em> analyst, Tim Dohrmann says I need not fear. There are a couple of Aussie retailers worth investing in. <\/p>\n

In fact, he’s recommended two retail stocks to Australian Small-Cap Investigator<\/em> subscribers. One that could achieve triple digit gains in the next two years…<\/a><\/p>\n

Shae Smith+<\/a>
\nEditor, Money Weekend<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two Stories from Money Morning <\/em>This Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

While I’m on the subject of department store retailing, Kris Sayce looks at three big retailing stocks<\/a> versus one tech stock while he’s in San Diego. The results will surprise you. <\/p>\n

Many Australian’s don’t like banks. In fact bank bashing in Oz is a sport. This week Sam Volkering took a look the new technologies coming up that are going to compete with traditional banking<\/a>. And the big loser will be the banking sector. <\/p>\n

And you might like this<\/strong><\/p>\n

ASX: 15,000 within four years…bullish or bull dust<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Join Money Morning on Google+ <\/u><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n


\nBy MoneyMorning.com.au<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By MoneyMorning.com.au I normally don’t agree with much of the information that comes from the mainstream. But this week, the Age took the words right out of my mouth. `‘You’ve been told it was the internet, that it was the economy, it was the high wages, the government, the customer, that is was the strong … <\/p>\n

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