Interview with Anna Blackburn, Managing Director at Beaverbrooks
Beaverbrooks has been a family business for over a century. Can you share the story behind its founding and how it has evolved over the years?
In 1919, three brothers, Isaac, Harry and Maurice Adlestone moved to Belfast and started Adlestones, now Beaverbrooks, with just a suitcase full of jewellery, silver and dreams. 106 years on, we have 89 Beaverbrooks Group Stores across the country, a 1,100-strong team and the same family at the helm, with Chairman Mark Adlestone OBE (grandson of Isaac) overseeing the business and myself and the senior management team overseeing the day-to-day running. We are proud of our heritage and the business is built on strong family principles, values and a mission to ‘enrich lives,’ which means making a positive difference to the world we live in.
Anna, your progression from a graduate trainee in 1998 to becoming the first female and non-family member CEO in 2013 is inspiring. What were some pivotal moments in your leadership journey and how have they influenced Beaverbrooks’ direction?
I was proud to become the first non-family member and female CEO of Beaverbrooks in 2013 and then non-family member and female member of the board when I was promoted to Managing Director in 2018. Beaverbrooks has a fantastic culture of developing our people and creating the environment to thrive, providing training and development opportunities and focusing on promoting from within where possible. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do just that having worked in all key areas of the business before leading our amazing teams across the country which I’ve done for the past 12 years.
There have been a number of career highlights, but a defining moment in my leadership was definitely when Beaverbrooks took the number one spot in the Best Companies 2021 Best Place to Work in The UK award. This was based on how our people felt we navigated Covid which was the most challenging year in Beaverbrooks’ history.
Our Chairman and I have also won several leadership awards; putting our people first in every decision we make is central to our culture, and I believe this has led to our success over the years. Not only do we encourage engagement and collaboration across all parts of the business, but we ensure we look after our people with fair hours and pay, comprehensive benefits and flexible bespoke policies to support our teams.
These awards, a raft of Best Retailer to Work For awards and 19 years of three-star Best Companies accreditation is testament to our amazing teams and the amazing success we have achieved through engagement and collaboration across the business.
Since 2000, Beaverbrooks has donated over £25 million to more than 750 charities. How does the company integrate philanthropy into its business model, and what motivates this strong commitment to giving back?
As a family-owned business, enriching lives and a making positive difference to the world is in our DNA, and this is reflected in every decision we make as a company. Giving back to communities and charities is important to all of us across the business. Due to our hard work and success, we have been able to consistently donate significant amounts of our profit to charities through the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust – we are proud to have donated over £25m since the year 2000.
We engage our people through Payroll Giving, match fund time-giving and provide annual charity team donations that each individual team chooses. Every colleague is enabled to give 16 company hours to charities of their choice – teams volunteered over 4,290 hours of their time to support fantastic causes last year.
The retail landscape has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including economic shifts and the rise of e-commerce. How has Beaverbrooks adapted to these changes while maintaining its core values and customer focus?
As a 106-year-old business, we have a strong reputation and heritage as a trusted, family-owned retailer, which instils confidence in our customers. Remaining agile and flexible has been key to our success. With every decision we have made and continue to make, our main focus is keeping our people at the centre of the business to maintain that trust with customers and remain a strong, resilient business.
We have always provided value, exceptional quality and beautiful products and choice for our customers with ranges of high-quality diamonds, jewellery and luxury watches. Whether looking for wedding jewellery, engagement rings, a Swiss watch or a special gift for a loved one, shoppers can come to us for an exceptional customer service and quality products.
In an increasingly digital world, the way we shop has changed, but we also know our customers still value the personal touch they get when interacting with our experts. This means we have continued to invest in our stores, phone customer service and ecommerce proposition to ensure customers get this high level of experience and service wherever they shop with us.
As Beaverbrooks continues to grow and evolve, what are your key priorities and goals for the future? How do you envision the company’s role in the jewellery industry in the coming years?
Despite a challenging marketplace, we are very proud of what we’ve achieved by maintaining a long-term view on investment that gives us confidence moving forward. I believe if we remain true to our values, mission and culture, we will continue to drive success and ensure our business is resilient and futureproofed. We know there may well be tough times to come, but we remain committed to providing the best quality service, expertise and products to customers.
We will continue to bring value and quality through our ranges of diamonds, luxury watches and jewellery for the weddings, engagements and special purchases our customers make. We will also continue to invest in our stores, website and people to bring customers the best experience and service to shop with Beaverbrooks the best way for them. This includes a new store opening in Harrogate this April and further store refits planned to enhance shopping experience for our customers across the UK.
Drawing from your experience, what advice would you offer to female entrepreneurs and professionals aiming to advance in their careers within the retail and jewellery sectors?
Whether it is colleagues, customers or the community where your company operates, putting people first in all business decisions reflects positively in motivation, success and the bottom line. Invest in and listen to your own teams to enable them to deliver the best service and you will in turn have happy customers and clients. I carry out 10-12 focus groups per year to truly listen to colleagues views to influence how we run our business.
Being a clear communicator and transparent with all decisions you make will ensure that people buy into your beliefs and values. People who work in a collaborative and inclusive work environment will feel empowered, so spend time with your teams in person and provide opportunities for people to contribute. After all, an engaged team will deliver the best results for your business.
I have found staying true to my values and instilling them in our people has been important in delivering success, enjoyment and fulfilment for our people. Collaboration and team engagement is central to making this work.
Beaverbrooks is an award-winning, family-owned jeweller established in 1919, providing exceptional quality diamonds, jewellery and watches. The jeweller spans a total of 89 locations across the UK, with 63 Beaverbrooks stores, 3 Loupe Boutiques (all with Rolex Showrooms) plus 23 dedicated luxury mono-brand boutiques, including TAG Heuer, OMEGA, Breitling, TUDOR and Longines. Having always championed a people-first culture, the company has achieved numerous accolades including Employer of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards 2024, as well as 3rd Best Retailer to Work For and 14th place in the 100 Best Large Companies to Work For in the 2024 Best Companies Awards. For further information please visit www.beaverbrooks.co.uk
You can view the complete E2E 100 Female track here.