The daughter of James Beattie today welcomed fresh hopes the famous family name could remain above the Wolverhampton department store he founded.
Vicky Redshaw joined thousands fighting to save the Beatties name amid fears it could go after a takeover by House of Fraser, which said it had “no resonance” with shoppers. After big opposition bosses said it was still under review but there were no immediate plans to change.
Mrs Redshaw, of Bridgnorth, thanked shoppers for their “amazing” support and said: “I am so grateful the new owners seem to be listening to the heartfelt pleas from the people of Wolverhampton.
“We can’t jump up and down and shout ‘hallalujah’ just yet but it is certainly a step forward and so far so good. I just want to thank the people who have supported this campaign.
“Their response has just been amazing and overwhelming.”
Civic leaders including ex- Wolverhampton mayor Phil Bateman and Councillor Malcolm Gwinnett were also pleased over the news about the name.
Fears for the name started in 2005 as Beatties was sold to House of Fraser. House of Fraser was then taken over by a consortium led by Icelandic investment group Baugur.
Their 38-year-old boss, Jon Asgeir Johannesson, said that he wanted to sweep away traditional names such as Beatties, Rackhams and Army & Navy from House of Fraser. It was claimed that a name had “no resonance with shoppers”.
His comments triggered opposition from Beatties supporters and led to House of Fraser chief executive John King visiting Wolverhampton in December in a bid to win over shoppers.
At the time Mrs Redshaw said: “It is like watching a beloved friend slowly die and we are all grieving.”
One Comment
I left Wolverhapton 23 years ago. I always remember visiting Beatties and enjoying the welcoming ambience of the shop. As I grew up I bought my singles from there and the cosmetics department was always the place to go for my mother and later my girlfriend’s perfumes. The LEVI jeans were always much too expensive at £5.00 a pair. I would often meet friends and relatives for coffee in the cafe on the ground floor. Too hot in the Summer but a refuge in the Winter. the fantastic window displays were the pride of the town, something to behold at Chritmas. A little bit of London in the town. Beatties for me was the heart of Wolverhampton then, what happened? We have a similair department store in an area of Bournemouth, where I live now (no I am not retired)called Sturtons which reminds me of how Beatties used to be and they are very successful, maybe we missed a trick somewhere. I am glad however that the Beatties name will live on
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