Smith & Caughey’s brings forward closing date
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Smith & Caughey’s will close this Sunday after bringing forward their end date.
The Auckland department store originally planned to close on July 31.
They announced their closure in May saying they were no longer “viable”.
Auckland department store Smith & Caughey’s has brought forward their closing date by six weeks.
In May, the iconic Queen Street store announced that it was closing after 145 years, with the final day scheduled for July 31.
However, following a closing-down sale, most of the remaining stock has been sold, with the store now littered with empty shelves.
The store’s last day will now be Sunday, June 15, with the doors closing for the final time at 4pm.
In a statement, Acting CEO Matt Harray said the closing down sale had gone “exceptionally well” and “much better” than expected.
“A lot of the stock is sold, however, we have further reduced the items in the store today. We still have a good selection of beauty, lingerie and shoes left, and our concession brand partners also have a good range of menswear in the store.”
A final window display will also be unveiled to shine a light on the history of the store and its people.
The closure came about following an announcement in August 2024 that the store would operate a reduced format beyond January 2025, which they had hoped would allow them to stay open long-term.
As a result, operations were downsized and refined to the ground floor of their flagship Queen St store while they also continued to operate an online store.
This followed weeks of consultation with staff, which resulted in the closure of their Newmarket store.
However, that move was eventually deemed “unviable” forcing the store to close fully.
In 2024, former chairperson Tony Caughey stated that the store had experienced a 40% decline in revenue, which he attributed to factors outside their control.
“As a result, the company is trading at a significant loss, which is unsustainable. Sadly, we do not believe sales can be restored to levels necessary to continue to operate.”
Caughey said that changes to the retail landscape, including the growth of new shopping malls, had contributed to consumers shifting their attention away from prestige department stores.
He also said the aftermath of the Covid pandemic has led to a reduction in the number of office workers in the central city, while ongoing roadworks and development in the area have been disruptive to shoppers.
Harray said the company is yet to make any decisions on the future of its Queen Street buildings, “but all options are being considered”.
“Currently, we’re focused on managing the closure of the retail store and the wellbeing of our staff through this process,” Harray said.
What we do know is that four buildings make up the nearly 3000sqm site, and the property’s 2021 council valuation was $40 million.