Express & Star comment: Now let’s get behind Beatties

For a while the future of the iconic store had looked bleak, with the collapse of House of Fraser leading to speculation that it may not survive for much longer.

Those fears were fuelled when Beatties was not on the initial list of saved stores under new owner Mike Ashley.

• BEATTIES SAVED: City delighted after store's future secured

Now we can all breathe a big sigh of relief, after Mr Ashley and the property team at his Sports Direct firm sealed a deal with the building’s owners.

Saving Beatties was a real team effort.

An Express & Star campaign highlighted the significance of the store to Wolverhampton and the wider region.

This newspaper’s readers deserve great credit for coming forward in their droves to support it.

The city council, local MPs and business leaders also deserve praise for refusing to give up hope on the store’s future.

Thanks to Mr Ashley for having, not only enough confidence in the store to keep it open, but also in the city itself.

The challenge now is for customers to repay this faith by getting down to Beatties and supporting it with their money. This goes for the other fantastic shops in the city as well.

Mike Ashley and his team also have a major challenge ahead of them.

There is no doubt that returning Beatties to its former glory will require significant investment.

It is fair to say that during the House of Fraser years, a little of the gloss has rubbed off the vision James Beattie had all those years ago of high quality shopping and superior service.

Mr Ashley has a big opportunity to bring that sheen back – and if he does, the region will thank him for it for decades to come.

All in all, this is a great announcement for the Black Country and Staffordshire.

We are delighted for the hard-working staff, many of whom had feared that their jobs may not last long after Christmas.

You can be sure that they will have played a big part in Mr Ashley’s decision.

Beatties remaining is undoubtedly a major boost for the city. It could well increase confidence further and provide the spark for more investment.

So let’s get shopping – and hope that the store has a bumper future.