Boxing Day rest for Fylde coast jewellers' employees

Beaverbrooks CEO Anna Blackburn and Chairman, Mark Adlestone, here pictured at the launch of the national Geared for Giving Campaign

The Stop Shops opening on Boxing Day petition started by baker Ian Lapworth has reached the milestone which allows it to be debated in Parliament.

But family owned Jewellers Beaverbrooks far from a reaction to the mounting pressure on retailers, said it has never opened on the day, for its entire trading history.

The company, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019, said today it had always closed on Boxing Day, as it believes that after the busy period running up to Christmas, all of its 920 employees deserve to be at home with their families. The high-street jewellers, which has ranked highly in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, for 13 consecutive years, claims that closing on Boxing Day is just one of the many ways to recognise employees and show appreciation for the hard work they do.

Beaverbrooks’ Chairman, Mark Adlestone, said: “Our business is run on strong family values and closing on Boxing Day is an important part of our ethos, as it allows us to give back to our people who work hard all year round and deserve to spend quality time with their loved ones.

“For this reason alone, we’ve always remained closed on the day, even through past financial challenges, and we intend to continue doing so as we believe it is the right thing to do for our people.

“Up until now, we’ve never really talked about our Boxing Day stance, but given that the petition is the hot topic at the moment, it’s made us realise that maybe we are unique in our approach to the debate.”

Lynne Wilkinson, retail sales consultant, who has worked at the jewellers for 43 years, said: “When we get new-starters they can never believe it when we say that we’re closed on one of the biggest trading days in the retail calendar, they are overjoyed.

“I’ve had some wonderful Christmases with my family and this wouldn’t have been possible if I had to work on Boxing Day. This heartfelt gesture really does go a long way and is just one of the reasons why I love being a part of the Beaverbrooks family.”