Retailer Beales welcomes Saffron Walden to the family

SAFFRON Walden’s flagship department store has undergone a name change.

Anglia Co-operative Society reached a multi-million pound agreement for Beales to acquire its Westgate department store business back earlier this year. Now the signage above the door and in-store has been changed to incorporate the Beales name.

A spokesman for Beales, the fourth biggest retailer in the UK, said: “It was always planned for the group’s new stores to be gently integrated into the Beales family without wishing to overwrite all the solid trust and integrity the original store had developed within the community.

“Since purchasing Westgate it was necessary to take time to assess current stock levels, to understand the Saffron Walden dynamics, spending patterns and more importantly to ensure any decisions made would be the right ones, ultimately to deliver a great shopping experience with a sustainable future.”

Beales has acquired a further 19 stores throughout the UK in 2011 which now brings a total of 32 stores to the portfolio.

At the time of the takeover, Beales chief executive Tony Brown said that the rebranding of the Market Square store would have little impact on customers.

This week, he added: “We are dedicated to ensuring the local community continues to feel an attachment to their local store.

“The Beales ethos is community spirited and very much takes a ‘family’ approach to its operations.”