Australia’s Myer department stores to stop selling ‘unprofitable’ Apple products

Australia’s largest department store operator Myer will stop selling “unprofitable” Apple Inc products as part of its drive to focus on higher-margin items, Myer Holdings said on Friday.

Apple is facing weak demand for its iPhone, which has come under fire for being too expensive. Demand has notably fallen in the world’s biggest smartphone market China, partly as a result of the trade dispute with the United States.

The decision, which will apply to the 16 department stores that stocked Apple products as well as online sales, comes as the department store operator restructures to better compete with online retailers.

Myer, which was founded on the back of the country’s gold rush more than a century ago, is cutting costs and boosting its online presence which allowed it to swing into a modest first half profit in January.