00:02The end of an era for David Jones at Marion and Westlakes.
00:07Devastated. I've been coming here since I was a little girl.
00:10Oh, really upset.
00:12There's a lot of sentiment about David Jones in the area.
00:15It's been here for 30 years.
00:17With big spaces to fill across the two soon-to-be-vacant sites.
00:22I really don't know what they could do with it.
00:24It's a very large space.
00:25Obviously it would be good to get other retailers in there.
00:29You know, one of the things that could help retailers, of course,
00:33is more population, more foot traffic.
00:36And in the midst of a housing crisis,
00:39some say it could be the right time to redevelop the sites
00:42to add residential spaces.
00:45Apartments above shopping centres makes absolute sense.
00:48Close to jobs, close to great amenity, green space, public transport.
00:54The fact is it wouldn't bother anyone and it would provide extra housing in the area.
00:59Others, less convinced.
01:01That's awful really, but I suppose we've got to have the housing.
01:07Certainly not apartments, but maybe a hotel or something.
01:11Centre Group, which owns the Westfield shopping centres, declined to comment.
01:16And David Jones staff have been told not to speak to media.
01:19The Retail Workers Union is meeting this evening
01:22to discuss what happens to the thousands of employees
01:25impacted by the closures across the country
01:28with hopes that at least some of those affected in South Australia
01:32could be transferred to the last remaining store in the state,
01:35here in Rundle Mall.
01:36Olivia Mason, ABC News, Adelaide.
