Beatties
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of House of Fraser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Genre | Department store |
| Founded | Wolverhampton (1877) |
| Headquarters | Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England |
| Products | Clothing, cosmetics, housewares |
| Website | Beatties (archived version) House of Fraser |
Beatties was a small British department store group located primarily in the Midlands of England. In 2005, when it had 12 stores, the group was acquired by House of Fraser. On 14 January 2006, the Birmingham store closed, because a similar House of Fraser store, Rackhams, was not far away. In August 2007, the Telford store was rebranded, along with the Solihull and Sutton Coldfield stores.[1][dead link] The group is gradually rebranding all its branches under the House of Fraser name. In January 2010 the Dudley branch was closed.
History
Beatties was founded in 1877 and had grown from a small family drapery business in Wolverhampton to a department store with an excellent reputation for Customer Service. The Company Policy (known as the Four Corners of Responsibility) stated that the responsibility to the customer was
"To provide the customer with a good range of well chosen, good value merchandise. To offer this to the public in attractive surroundings, backed by pleasant and effective service, and in an atmosphere of complete integrity and responsibility. To demonstrate at all times a genuine desire to please".
On joining Beatties, each member of staff (known as a "Member") was presented with a "Members' Guide" to provide members with information about the company and its policies, the condition of service offered, the facilities available and the rules to be followed.
Staff Structure
General Manager (GM), Assistant General Manager (AGM), Personnel Manager (PM), Department Sales Manager (DSM), Assistant Sales Manager (ASM), Loss Prevention Officer (Plain Clothes Security), Sales Assistants, Deck Service Personnel (Warehouse and Delivery), Catering Personnel (for Staff and Customer Restaurant)
Managers at Department level and above were known as Grade 1 members. Managers at Assistant Manager level were known as Grade 2 members.
As well as Beatties own staff the store also employed concession managers and staff. The majority of these were in Perfumery and Ladies fashions but there were also a number of Jewellery concessions.
Department store locations
- Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - renamed House Of Fraser in 2009
- Birkenhead, Merseyside - renamed House of Fraser
- Birmingham, West Midlands - closed January 2006
- Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire - closed September 2012
- Dudley, West Midlands - closed January 2010
- Huddersfield, West Yorkshire - renamed House of Fraser, (8 May 2008)
- Northampton, Northamptonshire - renamed House of Fraser (closed in 2014) now occupied by Next And Primark
- Solihull, West Midlands - renamed House of Fraser [1]
- Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands - renamed House of Fraser[1][dead link]
- Telford, Shropshire (Telford Shopping Centre) - renamed House of Fraser in August 2007[1][dead link]
- Wolverhampton, West Midlands (previously Head Office)
- Worcester, Worcestershire - renamed House of Fraser