End of era for Beatties

Beatties' store in Dudley was trading for the final time today after 40 years in the town.

There were tears and hugs as staff opened the doors of the department store in Churchill Shopping Centre at 9am.

The store, one of the last remaining big names in the town centre, only celebrated its 40th anniversary last year and has its flagship Black Country shop in Wolverhampton.

There are 76 staff at the shop in total, 48 of which are employed by concessions.

Dudley North MP Ian Austin branded the closure as "terrible news".

Owner House of Fraser announced it was shutting the branch in October, saying it was no longer financially viable.

Thousands have queued round the block to grab the bargains during the store's £1 million clearance sale which started last month.