MOVING AN EMPORIUM

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 December 1927, Page 11

MOVING AN EMPORIUM

JpOR many months ‘Sydneysiders have watched a splendid new departments store being built on a valuable block in the heart of the city opposite Hyde Park and the entarnce to the city underground railway station. The site was formerly occupied by the Sydney Girls’ High School, and was bought at auction by David Jones, Ltd., the oldest-established emporium in Sydney, for £IIIO,OOO. The building that has been placed upon it must have cost another £300,000 at least. The problem which intrigued Sydney people was, how is the firm to transfer its stock from its old premises near the post office to the new store half a mile away without disturbing its business? The answer came a few days ago. After a sale lasting three or four weeks, during which as much stock was cleared out as possible, the store closed to the public, at 0 o’clock on a Friday night. Then immediately 2300 employees——men, women, boys, and girls—set to work on the huge task of packing up every remaining bit of stock in the premises. This work continued throughout the night and up till midday on 'Saturday. As soon as the city’s traffic had eased off for the •usual Saturday after-noon calm, a fleet of 40 huge furniture vans began to transfer the stock to the new premises. What made the company’s task worse

SYDNEY COMPANY’S TASK

jv.-ns the fact that rain fell incessantly i during the whole of the operations. All I the impossible things happened. Whatever the reason—loyalty to the old firm or the appeal in almost everyone—the staff did astonishing things. Lads, just, beginning, hands so old in the employ of the firm that they have almost forgotten when they began, girls who might have been considered mere delicate titbits of humanity—all these and many others shouldered their burdens, and the huge furniture vans were loaded and sent on their .journey to the new store. Back and fro they came like shuttles in a machine! In the 24 hours, from fi o’clock on Friday •'evening to (i o’clock on Saturday evening, £500,000 worth of stock was moved [from the old premises to the new. Noi tiling remained in the old store. Tlie Jncw one was littered by thousands of |bundles and cases. Saturday night and Sunday was spent in unpacking those and placing their contents in position. By 1(1 o’clock on ..Monday morning the new store was spick and span, with excited attendants waiting to receive I customers. And the customers came in (throngs . . . genuine purehaseers ■some, but mostly the idly curious and jthe curiously idL. So the greatest rei'moval in Sydroy’s history had been 'completed.