BrandWikiReturn

The Reject Shop

The Reject Shop is an Australian discount variety store chain selling a range of household and consumer goods including food, snacks, party supplies, cleaning products, kitchenware and seasonal items. The company operates more than 400 stores across Australia and is headquartered in Kensington, Victoria.

Founded in 1979, The Reject Shop grew to become one of Australia's largest discount retail chains. The company employs over 5,000 staff nationwide.

The retailer expanded in several Australian states and took over locations previously operated by other chains, including some stores formerly operated by Chickenfeed in Tasmania following the closure of Retail Adventures.

In 2025, Canadian discount retailer Dollarama acquired The Reject Shop and delisted the company from the Australian Securities Exchange. Following the acquisition, Dollarama announced plans to transform the business and potentially rebrand stores under the Dollarama brand.

History

The first store was opened in South Yarra, Melbourne by founders Ron Hall and John Shuster in 1981.[2] This shop sold seconds and discontinued lines, hence The Reject Shop name.[3]

In 1994, the chain became majority owned by Macquarie Bank. It was floated on the Australian Securities Exchange in June 2004.[4][5] The float was successful, with the company tripling in size two years after going public.[6]

Former Chief Executive Barry Saunders, recruited to the company in 2000 by Macquarie Bank, retired in 2007.[7] He was replaced in May 2007 by Gerry Masters, a former Coles Group executive, after 33 years with his former employer.[8]

On 11 September 2009, it was announced that Gerry Masters had resigned his position as managing director and would be replaced by Chris Bryce, the chief financial officer, effective 14 September 2009.

Despite the strong growth experienced by the company in the years following 2004, a profit warning in December 2010 resulted in a sharp drop in the share price. The company was also affected by the Queensland Floods of 2010, with the company's Ipswich Distribution Centre being flooded. The warehouse became operational once again on 28 August 2011. A similar profit warning in June 2014 resulted in another share drop of 50%, making them one of the top worst performing shares in 2014.[9][10]

In 2013, the company commenced an aggressive growth plan, following the closure of a number of Retail Adventures stores. The company passed the 300 store milestone in October 2013.

On 8 July 2014, The Reject Shop announced the appointment of Ross Sudano (formerly of Little World Beverages) as chief executive officer. His appointment followed the departure of Chris Bryce in June 2014, after leading a significant growth phase of the business.[11]

In January 2020, the company announced Andre Reich as chief executive officer.[12] In September 2020, The Reject Shop announced a partnership with British supermarket chain Tesco.[13] In October they launched a lowest price guarantee[14] In November 2020, The Reject Shop launched a partnership with DoorDash.[15]

Dollarama acquisition

In March 2025, the board accepted a $259 million takeover offer from Dollarama, a Canadian discount retailer.[16] The investor presentation said it will deliver a “dollarama shopping experience” with a new store layout, design and merchandising experience.[17][18] The acquisition was completed in July 2025 and the company was removed from the ASX.[19] It was confirmed in August 2025 that The Reject Shop stores would be rebadged as Dollarama.[20]

At least one media commentator expressed concerns about the acquisition and planned rebranding describing it as an “eerily similar path” to that of Retail Adventures’ ill-fated acquisition of Australian Discount Retail – the parent company of Crazy Clark's, Go-Lo and Sam's Warehouse.[21]

In January 2026, the company's entity name changed from The Reject Shop Limited to Dollarama Australia Pty Ltd.[22][23]

In March 2026, Dollarama president and chief executive Neil Rossy told investors that he confident that with an expanded footprint, rebranded Dollarama Australia stores can dominate Australia’s multi-billion dollar discount and general merchandise space, stating that: “while this is a four-year project, once you’ve established a low-cost retail platform in Australia, with by that point, over 500-600 stores, we feel very confident that being the 800-pound gorilla in the market will play very well for our shareholders.”[24]

By March 2025, a “handful” of renovated Reject Shop stores had adopted Dollarama’s in-store layout and fixtures.[24] However, they will continue to operate under the legacy Reject Shop banner until the assortment of new Dollarama stock increases.[24] As of March 2026, Dollarama had not yet decided it would replicate the “nothing over $5” pledge it currently has in its Canadian stores.[24]

See also

External links

References

  1. Eli Greenblat. Reject Shop transformation under Canada's Dollarama begins with inventory reset The Australian, 14 December 2025, retrieved 22 December 2025^
  2. The Reject Shop^
  3. The Reject Shop^
  4. Reject Shop prepares to float out of bargain basement The Age 19 April 2004^
  5. Reject Shop gears up for June float The Age 29 April 2004^
  6. The Reject Shop goes has tripled in size Sydney Morning Herald 12 June 2006^
  7. Achievements show Saunders is no reject Sydney Morning Herald 16 January 2007.^
  8. Executive who started at the bottom aims to develop a rejection complex The Age 31 May 2007^
  9. Reject Shop shares drop as profits take hit Sydney Morning Herald, 10 June 2014, retrieved 3 July 2014^
  10. Worst performing stocks in fiscal 2014 Finance News Network, 1 July 2014, retrieved 3 July 2014^
  11. Reject Shop names Ross Sudano as new chief replacing Chris Bryce Sydney Morning Herald, 8 July 2014, retrieved 9 July 2014^
  12. Chief Executive Officer Appointment The Reject Shop, 9 December 2019, retrieved 25 May 2020^
  13. The-Reject shop introduces surprising new grocery staples News.com.au, 2 September 2020^
  14. The Reject Shop Offers Lowest Price Guarantee^
  15. The Reject Shop stores hit by CBD exodus Australian Financial Review 3 June 2021^
  16. Miriam Steffens, Gemma Grant. ‘Money from heaven’: The Reject Shop set for $259m sale to Canadian giant The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 March 2025, retrieved 27 March 2025^
  17. Dollarama to acquire Australian discount retailer The Reject Shop Dollarama, retrieved 27 March 2025^
  18. Canada's Dollarama makes $259m bid for The Reject Shop discount chain Australian Financial Review 28 March 2025^
  19. Darshana Gupta. Dollarama completes its acquisition of The Reject Shop Inside Retail Australia, 2025-07-22, retrieved 2025-09-06^
  20. Eli Greenblat. Reject Shop revamp to rival Kmart, Target and Big W The Australian, 31 August 2025, retrieved 31 August 2025^
  21. Belinda Palmada. Go-Lo 2.0? $259m Reject Shop move’s eerie similarity news.com.au, 4 March 2026, retrieved 26 March 2026^
  22. Historical details for ABN 33 006 122 676 ABN Lookup, 8 January 2026, retrieved 26 March 2026^
  23. DOLLARAMA REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FISCAL YEAR 2026 RESULTS: Dollarama Australia, Transformation Update PR Newswire, 24 March 2026, retrieved 26 March 2026^
  24. Eli Greenblat. Reject Shop can be ‘800 pound retail gorilla’, says new owner The Australian, 25 March 2026, retrieved 26 March 2026^