He later trained as a tailor and worked in that profession for several years in England before returning to Australia in 1902.

In 1920 he succeeded his elder brother, Edward Lloyd Jones, as Chairman, a position he would hold until his death in 1958.

[2] As both an artist himself and a patron of the arts in Sydney, Jones established the David Jones Art Gallery in the Elizabeth Street store in 1944, under the direction of Sir John Ashton.

The Sir Charles Lloyd Jones Memorial Prize was named in his honour.

[3] In a note to his sons regarding the family company he said: "David Jones is more than a material money-making concern, it is a great institution rendering a service to countless millions in the year, in fair dealing with the desire to serve all who enter its doors honestly, setting a new standard in commercial practice.