Beatties of London

Beatties of London Limited

File:Beatties models.png
Company type	Limited
Industry	Retail
Founded	19 April 1938 (1938-04-19)
Defunct	30 March 2001 (2001-03-30)
Fate	Administration
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Number of locations	60 (in 2000)
Area served	United Kingdom
Products	Scale models Toys
Number of employees	250 (at the time of 26 stores)
Parent	ERA Group

Beatties of London—frequently referred to simply as Beatties—was a retail business in the United Kingdom specializing in models, and is unrelated to the Beatties department store chain.

History

The origins of Beatties trace back to Colonel S N Beattie and Charles Whale, who established the Southgate Model Shop. By the early 1960s, they managed two modest outlets on Winchmore Hill Road in London, focusing on both new and pre-owned model railway products. After Whale left the partnership, Beattie took over Bassett Lowke's retail locations.

Following Beattie’s retirement, ownership transferred to Richard Kohnstamm Ltd, recognized for importing brands such as Riko and Tamiya. This acquisition marked the transformation of the business into a substantial retail chain with a broader emphasis beyond just model railways, expanding into general toy retailing.

In 1987, Beatties expanded further by acquiring Taylor & McKenna, a retailer operating ten stores since its founding in 1960.

By the end of the 1990s, under the ownership of Era Group plc, Beatties managed a network of 60 outlets throughout the UK, including prominent sites at MetroCentre Gateshead and Merry Hill Shopping Centre. The company also launched an online sales platform. However, financial pressures arose following unsuccessful attempts to penetrate the competitive video game sector.

On 14 March 2001, ERA Group placed Beatties into administration. Barclays Bank appointed Ernst & Young partners Alan Bloom and Chris Hill as joint administrators. Prior to this, Era Group’s shares had been suspended from AIM on 27 February 2001. Store closures began as early as October 1999; by July 2000, 34 out of 60 shops had shut down while Era sought £5 million through a share issue to satisfy creditors. In March 2001, turnaround firm Hilco purchased 13 remaining outlets; the other 13 were closed permanently, leading to more than 100 job losses. Numerous former Beatties sites were subsequently acquired by Modelzone, which itself ceased trading in 2013. A significant collection of vintage transport toys known as "The Beatties Collection" was auctioned with a reserve price approaching £50,000.