Lincraft will close its remaining shopfronts in Australia and New Zealand and trade online only, a decision that affects about 300 staff across both countries, the company said on Tuesday. The fabric, craft and homewares retailer said employee entitlements would be paid in full, and that it would keep serving customers through its online store while the closures proceed. The move ends more than eight decades of shopfront trading for the chain.
Lincraft announced the closure on Tuesday 16 June, and the ABC, Nine and the New Zealand Herald carried it the same day. The Age also reported the closure. Lincraft described the decision as a response to changing customer behaviour after a long stretch of difficult trading conditions. About 50 of the 300 staff affected are in New Zealand, according to ABC News and the New Zealand Herald.
Managing director and owner John Maguire called it “an extremely difficult decision”, citing the impact on “our team members”. Lincraft “has been part of Australian and New Zealand communities for generations”, he said. His comments were reported by ABC News and the New Zealand Herald.
The company attributed the move to a prolonged period of challenging retail conditions, together with changing consumer behaviour, increased operating costs and growing pressure from low-cost international online competitors. On 3AW Breakfast, Maguire said Lincraft’s sales were stabilising while costs were going up, and that in the end “you’ve got to probably make the tough call”. ABC News reported the company plans to close the majority of its stores within six months. An email to Lincraft Club members described the news as “difficult and deeply emotional”, and said the network would close progressively over the coming months.
The shopfronts will close progressively over the coming months, worked through store by store as lease terms allow. Most of the remaining stores sit in Australia’s eastern states and territories. Public counts of the remaining network differ: ABC News reported that about 30 company-owned stores were still trading, while The Age reported 32. The New Zealand Herald reported that a separate group of 27 franchise stores would move under transitional arrangements as the company-owned shops close. Lincraft has not named a final date for the wind-down.
Lincraft started as a market stall in Melbourne in 1938 and has traded for more than 80 years, a span the New Zealand Herald puts at 88 years. The chain grew from that single stall into a retailer with stores in Australia and New Zealand. The current owners took over the business as Lincraft Australia in 2005.
The announcement adds to a run of retail closures across Australia. Barbeques Galore said the week before that it would shut more than 60 stores, with about 500 redundancies expected. Mosaic Brands closed 763 stores across 2024 and 2025, with about 3,000 staff affected. In June 2025, the Jetstar Asia shutdown cost hundreds of jobs.
What Happens to the Stores
The shopfronts close progressively over the coming months, with the timing of each store set by lease terms. The online store continues to trade through the transition, and the company has not named closing dates for individual sites. Entitlements for affected staff are the company’s stated commitment, and the 27 franchise stores stay under transitional arrangements. The company has not set out further plans beyond the move to online only.
Sources: Lincraft statement and Lincraft Club member email, 16 June 2026; ABC News, “Retailer Lincraft to close remainder of shopfronts and move entirely online”, 16 June 2026; The New Zealand Herald, “Lincraft shutting physical stores as retailer moves fully online, 300 jobs affected”, 16 June 2026; 3AW Breakfast, interview with John Maguire, 17 June 2026; Inside Retail Australia, “Lincraft announces closure of all ANZ stores”, 16 June 2026; RetailBiz, “Lincraft to close all physical stores after more than 80 years”, 16 June 2026
Photo: Andykatib, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Lincraft’s store and New Zealand head office on Filleul Street, Dunedin, photographed on 22 June 2026. Lincraft announced on 16 June 2026 that it would close its remaining shopfronts in Australia and New Zealand; this is the Dunedin store.
