Jewellery retailer Beaverbrooks has again been named as the best company to work for in the UK.
For the first time since 2009 the family-owned business has reclaimed its place atop the 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
It also took the crown for the ‘Retail’s Best Company to Work For’ award, and has featured prominently in the list for 18 consecutive years.
Story continues below
The awarding body said that Beaverbrooks ranked first in the country due to its people-centric approach to business that put the safety of colleagues and customers first, protected jobs and incomes, and safeguarded the future of the company, all during the pandemic year.
The jeweller is now the only organisation in Best Companies’ history to be awarded a three-star accreditation for workplace engagement for 16 years running.
Despite its 72 stores being closed for half of the company’s financial year, the business has reported strong financial performance through 2020 and into 2021, also keeping up its philanthropic ventures in the face of economic uncertainty.
Anna Blackburn, managing director of Beaverbrooks, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named as the number one business in the Best Companies to Work For list 2021, as well as the accolade for Retail’s Best Company to Work For which is truly an honour to receive.
“It’s been a challenging year of adapting to change, but we are incredibly proud of how we responded as a company.
“2019 was our centenary year and the most profitable in our history, so to be able to build on this success whilst navigating a pandemic and retaining our core company ethos and values, is an incredible achievement for us.”
Discussing the reasons Beaverbrooks frequently features so highly in the list, she added: “We believe that a collaborative culture is key to business success so communication has been essential, ensuring colleagues feel involved and engaged with the business, as well as increasing our focus on wellbeing.
“As a result, we saw a 91% response rate to the Best Companies employee survey (average is 68 per cent) this year despite a large proportion of our colleagues being on furlough at the time. This employee feedback is so important to us as it will help make Beaverbrooks an even better place to work.
“We are immensely proud of what we’ve achieved as a business over the last year.
“By respecting our heritage and values, staying true to our purpose of ‘Enriching Lives,’ which simply means making a positive difference to the world we live in, and adapting to the continually changing retail landscape, we’ve been able to maintain a very strong position for the company and we’re excited to see what the future will hold.”
