THE slump in Australian retailing has worsened, with two more of the nation's leading chains unveiling wretched earnings figures that have been blamed in part on the industry's failure to embrace online shopping. Days after Myer disclosed a 20 per cent profit dive, rival department store giant David Jones has announced its own 20 per cent profit reversal for the latest half-year and shocked the sharemarket by forecasting a 40 per cent full-year slump. ''It's certainly been the toughest retail conditions I've seen in my career,'' said David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra. The announcement prompted an 11 per cent ... (full story)