The National Association of Jewellers
The National Association of Jewellers
11/10/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/10/2023 08:33
Beaverbrooks Named ‘Retail’s Best Company To Work For’ and UK’s 3rd ‘Best Company to Work For’
Beaverbrooks Named 'Retail's Best Company To Work For' and UK's 3rd 'Best Company to Work For'
10 Nov 2023
National jewellery, diamond and watch retailer Beaverbrooks added to its huge roster of accolades after scooping five awards at the prestigious Best Companies Awards 2023.
The family-owned jewellers maintained its title as 'Retail's Best Company to Work For' for the third consecutive year, as well as being hailed the UK's 3rd Best Large Company to Work For, progressing from 6th position last year.
Beaverbrooks' Chairman, Mark Adlestone OBE and Managing Director, Anna Blackburn, received the ultimate recognition for their outstanding leadership with the 'Large Companies Special Award for Best Leader'.
Through the businesses' continued efforts of putting their people at the heart of the business, Beaverbrooks was also recognised with a lifetime achievement award for five consecutive years of placing in the Top 10 Best Companies to Work For.
Beaverbrooks received a second lifetime achievement award for its 20-year commitment to being a best company to work for - an award which has only ever been achieved by one other company in the history of the Best Companies Awards. In addition, Beaverbrooks is the only organisation in Best Companies' history to be awarded a three-star accreditation for workplace engagement for 18 years running - the highest standard reflecting 'world class' levels of workplace engagement.
The 104-year-old retailer is consistently recognised as a great place to work as it continues to invest in its people. To celebrate its colleagues' contributions to the success of the business, Beaverbrooks has continued its tradition of giving team members more time to spend with family and friends over the festive season by closing all stores and its office on Boxing Day. An extra week's salary is also given to colleagues who have completed one year's service with Beaverbrooks in December to show appreciation for their hard work.
Last year, Beaverbrooks made an investment of £550,000 in cost-of-living payments made to colleagues (£500 one-off payment per colleague), providing further financial support in line with increasing costs.
Futureproofing the business and protecting jobs have continued to take precedence for Beaverbrooks. In 2022/23, the retailer invested £14.5m into enhancing its infrastructure, including the refitting and expansion of a number of stores to provide enhanced shopping experience for customers. This year, Beaverbrooks has continued to invest in its estate with a further seven refits and openings.
With the success and growth of the business, Beaverbrooks' employment figures have risen to 1,200. Despite growing numbers and more sites, the national jeweller has never lost sight of its core values, and has continued to enrich the lives of the Beaverbrooks family - which simply means making a positive difference to the world we live in.
Beaverbrooks has retained its charitable values, donating over £2.57m to charities via the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust in the 2022/23 financial year. Beaverbrooks donates 20 per cent of its retained profits to charity and, since the year 2000, has donated in excess of £21m to over 1,000 charities.
Beaverbrooks believes that a collaborative culture is key to business success, therefore communication continues to be essential, ensuring colleagues feel involved and engaged with the business. The Best Companies employee survey results are truly representative of the Beaverbrooks team, as the business saw responses from over 1,000 of its colleagues - an impressive 90% response rate.
Anna Blackburn, managing director of Beaverbrooks, who was recently recognised in Retail Week's 100 People Champions List, said,
"We are absolutely delighted to be named as one of the top three businesses to work for in the UK and the number one Retail's Best Companies to Work For after three consecutive years. Retail is a rewarding industry, particularly when successfully navigating through its continually changing landscape. With our record turnover figures last year of £225m, it shows that staying ahead of retail trends and putting a huge emphasis on looking after your people makes business sense and is reflected in the bottom line.
"In September, I celebrated my 10th year of leading the business and 25 years in the company, so to be recognised as the joint UK's Best Leader with Beaverbrooks' Chairman, Mark Adlestone is a great honour. My leadership style has always been focused on listening to our people and treating them right. Our people are our lifeblood at Beaverbrooks and none of the amazing sales success and profitability that we have achieved would be possible without their hard work. The five accolades we have achieved at the Best Companies 2023 awards are a testament to our people, who work so incredibly hard day in day out.
"As a family-owned business, enriching the lives of our Beaverbrooks family and making positive changes to the world around us is in our DNA, and this is reflected in every decision we make as a company. By staying true to our values, we have been able to deliver financial success, invest in our people and our infrastructure, and been able to donate to charity at a time when it is needed most."
"We are immensely proud of what we've achieved as a business over the last year, and we're excited to see what the future will hold."