Watch and jewellery retailer Beaverbrooks has explained why the company has never opened its doors to high street shoppers on Boxing Day.
During its entire trading history the family jeweller and watch retailer has never once had one of its stores open the day after Christmas.
The company, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019, has always closed on Boxing Day, as it firmly believes that after the busy period running up to Christmas, all of its 920 employees deserve to be at home with their families.
Although not a new decision for the 97-year old brand, its annual tradition of remaining closed on Boxing Day will inevitably spark some debate amongst other retailers, particularly after a recent petition which called for a ban on shops opening, received over 200,000 signatures.
The high street jewellers 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, comments: “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.”
Image: Beaverbrooks opened its 69th store in Westfield Stratford City shopping centre on 8 December 2016
