John Martin & Co.
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John Martin & Co. Ltd was an Adelaide based company, which ran the popular chain of John Martin's department stores in South Australia. The company was acquired by the Hayward family some time in the late nineteenth century, and retained by them for over 100 years [1], until it was purchased by David Jones Limited in 1985. David Jones retained the John Martin's brand for some time, but during the 1990s progressively sold or closed the John Martin's stores, or converted them into David Jones outlets. In 1998 the last remaining John Martin's store, in Adelaide's Rundle Mall, was demolished to make way for a new David Jones building.
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[edit] Operation
During its operation, John Martin's (or "Johnnies", as it was colloquially known) contributed significantly to South Australian society. This included sponsorship of major events such as the Adelaide Christmas Pageant and the Adelaide Festival of Arts.
[edit] The Magic Cave and the Christmas Pageant
The Christmas tradition of the Magic Cave at John Martin's store in Rundle Street (now Mall) may date back to 1896. [2] In 1933, Edward Hayward instigated the first John Martin's Christmas Pageant, which from 1934 has concluded with Father Christmas arriving at the store and entering the Magic Cave.
The Magic Cave tradition, including its connection with the pageant, is continued by David Jones. The pageant itself is now owned by the state government, with naming rights sponsorship by six local credit unions.
[edit] Acquisition and closure
David Jones continued for some time to operate the John Martin's stores as a separate retail chain to their David Jones-branded stores. However, in the early 1990s John Martin's performance was determined not to be in line with David Jones expectations. After several failed attempts to revitalise the business (including a new business logo and marketing), it was decided to progressively divest the John Martin's stores.
The stores at Elizabeth City Centre and Westfield Arndale (now Centro Arndale) were closed and sold to Harris Scarfe, and the stores at Westfield Marion and West Lakes Mall (now Westfield West Lakes) were converted into David Jones department stores. The John Martin's outdoor furniture store at Keswick was also closed.
The last John Martin's store to close was the Rundle Mall flagship store in Adelaide's CBD. Despite strong public opposition, the store was closed in 1998 and demolished to allow the construction of a new David Jones store, replacing the existing dated building. Several attempts were made to have the John Martin's building heritage listed, but all failed.
[edit] External links
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