dStore

dstore Australia Pty Ltd

Type	Public (Unlisted) Company
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia
Key people	Andrew Cooper, CEO
Industry	Retail
Products	dstore.com dstore.com
Slogan	"your online department store"
Website	dstore.com
Type of site	e-commerce
Available in	English
Launched	1999

dstore is an Australian-based online retailer. It offers a range of goods across a number of sectors. The company has established sales both to Australian and select overseas countries through its international website.

History

dstore was established in January 1999 by Andrew Cooper. Cooper recognised the need for dstore to win the trust of consumers and build a relationship with them in order to win their business, using channels such as television to establish a brand presence ^[1].

In its early days, dstore raised around AU$36 million and was backed by some of the biggest names in Australian business^[2] including the founder of LookSmart, Evan Thornley, and Kerry Packer's ninemsn. Businessman and former NSW Premier, Nick Greiner, gave up a board seat at Coles Myer to become chairman of dstore but resigned shortly before it was sold for an undisclosed sum to the Harris Scarfe group in November 2000 for AU$3 million ^[3].

dstore is reported to have burnt through $23 million in its first year of operating due to difficulty in luring online customers, and a failed bid to raise a further $10 million among investors in January 2000 ^[4].

In April 2001, Harris Scarfe was placed in receivership and dstore was offered for sale by receivers and managers, Ferrier Hodgson. HotShed Retail acquired dstore on the 10th of September, 2001. HotShed Retail paid a reported $615,000 for dstore and immediately re-launched it using HotShed’s technology platform. A break-even result was reported in the 2001 Christmas quarter^[2]. HotShed and dstore's major shareholders are now Brisbane based brothers Andrew & Tim Cooper.

Locations

dstore's fulfilment centres are located in capital cities around Australia as well as in the United States and Hong Kong.

Product & Services

After being acquired by HotShed Retail, dstore initially sold VHS Movies, CDs and console games. They have since expanded into gifts, DVDs, fragrances, cosmetics, homewares, toys, computers, electronics, books and more. dstore also provides reward and incentive programs for corporate clients.

References

1. ^ "The top 10 most influential people". http://www.bandt.com.au/news/14/0c003214.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-22. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dstore confirms first profit". Archived from the original on 2008-04-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20080416220637/http://www.eps.net.au/onestop/story.asp?id=155. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
3. ^ "HotShed eyes dstore". http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;10310010. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
4. ^ "Dstore Sold to Bricks-and-Mortar Chain". http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;1205605284. Retrieved 2008-05-22. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• dstore.com