Immediately following their retail advertising announcement, David Jones is set to axe 100 jobs, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The recent layoffs are a result of a widespread review by the retailer of its department store operations after being sold by Woolworths Holdings to Anchorage Capital, its new private equity owner and facilitator of the evaluation.

According to David Jones, the layoffs are part of the retailer’s plans to streamline store operations and eliminate “tasks that are not focused on people or service”.

Roles like the assistant sales manager positions are to be removed from its operating structure because these roles include responsibilities that can be replaced by technology, like preparing sales reports.

Employees with positions that are affected will be offered the option to shift to another part of the David Jones business.

Despite eliminating positions that could affect consumer experience, David Jones says, to the contrary, the alterations will improve the customer experience with managers being able to spend more time on the floor and with their employees.

Layoffs and restructuring are how retailers like David Jones and even Bunnings are managing the current murky market.

The Australian household hardware and garden centre chain also announced the elimination of its regional managers to streamline its senior management team.

Leading up to what insiders believe will be a dreary full-year earnings season, the layoffs and restructuring may continue while the consumer outlook continues to weaken.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures and signalling to retailers what could be a bumpy rest of 2023, the overall quantity of goods sold across the country fell by 1.4% in 2022-23, which is the first major yearly fall since the 1991 recession.