Venture (department store)
Venture was a chain of discount department stores operating across Australia. It was developed by South Australian department store John Martins and was first opened in 1970. The chain grew to cover much of the country. It was later sold to the Cookes family which purchased the Waltons chain of department stores in 1987 and promptly closed it down, converting most of the stores to the Venture banner. In 1994, the company went bankrupt due to financial difficulties and soon after, it was closed down. The demise of Venture accelerated the national expansion of Harris Scarfe and the statewide expansion of FitzGeralds in Tasmania (FitzGeralds would be merged with Harris Scarfe a year later).
Former store locations
South Australia
- Salisbury (Parabanks) (eventually acquired by Harris Scarfe and becoming the first suburban Harris Scarfe store, this occurred before the collapse of the Venture chain)
- Elizabeth (this Venture store had 2 stories, and was eventually taken over by Harris Scarfe).
- West Lakes
- Woodcroft
- Arndale, now Centro Arndale (Kilkenny)
Tasmania
- Devonport
- Eastlands
- Hobart (Now Wendy's and Priceline on the upper level)
- Ulverstone
- Launceston (Now Target)
- Kings Meadows (Now Chickenfeed)
Australian Capital Territory
- Monaro Mall/Canberra Civic (Acquired from Waltons)
- Woden Plaza
- Belconnen Mall
New South Wales
- Albury
- Armidale (Acquired from Waltons)
- Bankstown
- Baulkham Hills
- Blacktown (Acquired from Waltons)
- Bondi Junction (Acquired from Waltons)
- Burwood (Acquired from Waltons)
- Cabramatta
- Campbelltown
- Caringbah
- Carlingford
- Cessnock
- Chatswood
- Coffs Harbour
- Dee Why (Acquired from Waltons)(free standing store over 3 floors)
- Fairfield
- Gosford (acquired from Waltons)
- Hornsby (Acquired from Waltons)
- Hurstville (Acquired from Waltons)
- Kotara (Garden City)
- Liverpool
- Merrylands
- Mount Druitt
- Newcastle - Hunter Street
- Nowra
- Parramatta (Acquired from Waltons)(part of the Westfield site; over 2 floors)
- Penrith
- Seven Hills
- Taree
- Top Ryde
- Wollongong (Crown Central)
Victoria
- Coburg
- Box Hill
- Brandon Park
- Clayton (now Coles Centre Rd)
- Waverley Gardens
- Frankston (Acquired from Waltons)
- Keysborough (Parkmore Shopping Centre)
- Dandenong (Acquired from Waltons), later occupied by Dimmeys
- Greensborough
- Morwell
- Sale
- Shepparton
- Sunbury
- Ballarat
- Geelong (Market Square)
- Corio Village
- Richmond
- Melton
- Wantirna South (Knox City)
- Vermont South
- Boronia
- Bulleen Plaza
- Mildura (two stories)
- Maribyrnong (Highpoint West Shopping Centre)
Queensland
- Brisbane City
- Carindale
- Deception Bay
- Fortitude Valley
- Indooroopilly
- Loganholme (Logan Hyperdome)
- Redbank (Redbank Plaza)
- Rockhampton (Rockhampton Shopping Fair)
- Southport (Gold Coast)
- Toowoomba (Clifford Gardens)
- Upper Mount Gravatt (Garden City)
References