Bye bye Big W: Department store announces major decision
All Big W Optical stores are closing their doors for good by June 30. Customers nationwide are no longer able to book an optometrist appointment online, but some local stores are still taking phone bookings until Friday, the 7th of June.
Big W have expressed their sadness in a statement, saying to 10 Daily:
"We apologise for any inconvenience and would like to take this opportunity to thank you kindly for your support as a valued optical customer," Big W said in a statement.
The decision to close stores nationwide will impact 175 employees across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. The impacted employees include optometrists, managers, dispensers and sales staff.
A small number of staff will be moved to a different department within the Woolworths Group, who own Big W, whereas others are expected to accept redundancies.
The announcement of the optical Big W stores comes just weeks after the Woolworths Group earmarked dozens of stores for closure.
At least 30 stores will close over the next three years, including two distribution centres.
"They are the most economically-challenged stores in the network from a productivity perspective and have the highest underlying rent costs," Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said at the time.