Venture (department store)
Venture was a chain of defunct discount department store operating across Australia. It was developed by South Australian department store John Martins and was first opened in 1970. The chain grew to cover much of the country. It was later sold to the Cookes family which purchased the Waltons chain of department stores in 1987 and promptly closed it down, converting most of the stores to the Venture banner. In 1994, the company went bankrupt due to financial difficulties and soon after, it was closed down. The demise of Venture accelerated the national expansion of Harris Scarfe and the statewide expansion of FitzGeralds in Tasmania (FitzGeralds would be merged with Harris Scarfe a year later).
Former store locations
South Australia
- Salisbury (Parabanks), now Stockland Parabanks (eventually acquired by Harris Scarfe and becoming the first suburban Harris Scarfe store, this occurred before the collapse of the Venture chain)
- Elizabeth (this Venture store had 2 stories, and was eventually taken over by Harris Scarfe).
- West Lakes
- Woodcroft
- Arndale, now Centro Arndale (Kilkenny)
Tasmania
- Devonport
- Eastlands
- Hobart
- Ulverstone
Australian Capital Territory
- Canberra Civic (Acquired from Waltons)
- Monaro Mall
- Woden Plaza
New South Wales
- Albury
- Armidale (Acquired from Waltons)
- Bankstown
- Baulkham Hills
- Blacktown (Acquired from Waltons)
- Bondi Junction (Acquired from Waltons)
- Burwood (Acquired from Waltons)
- Cabramatta
- Campbelltown
- Caringbah
- Carlingford
- Cessnock
- Chatswood
- Coffs Harbour
- Dee Why (Acquired from Waltons)
- Fairfield
- Gosford (acquired from Waltons)
- Hornsby (Acquired from Waltons)
- Hurstville (Acquired from Waltons)
- Kotara (Garden City)
- Liverpool
- Merrylands
- Mt Druitt
- Newcastle - Hunter Street
- Nowra
- Parramatta (Acquired from Waltons)
- Penrith
- Seven Hills
- Taree
- Top Ryde
- Wollongong (Crown Central)
Victoria
- Westfield Southland (Cheltenham)
- Box Hill
- Brandon Park
- Clayton
- Waverley Gardens
- Frankston (Acquired from Waltons)
- Dandenong (Acquired from Waltons)
- Greensborough
- Morwell
- Sale
- Shepparton
- Sunbury
- Ballarat
- Geelong (Market Square)
- Corio Village
- Richmond
- Melton
- Wantirna South (Knox City)
- Vermont South
- Boronia
- Bulleen Plaza
- Mildura (two stories)
Queensland
- Upper Mt Gravatt (Garden City)
- Deception Bay
- Carindale
- Fortitude Valley
- Toowoomba (Clifford Gardens)