Betts Group

Betts store in Karrinyup Shopping Centre

Betts Group Pty Ltd, formerly Breckler Brothers and Cecil Bros Pty Ltd,[1] is an Australian footwear retailer based in Perth. Founded in 1892, the Betts Group owns the brands Betts (formerly Betts & Betts), Betts Kids (formerly Betts & Betts Kids), ZU, Airflex, Zeroe, Betts Brand Direct, Betts for Her. As of June 2026, Betts had 35 stores across Australia.

History

Yoel Breckler, a Russian immigrant, founded the boot repair store Breckler Brothers in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1892.[2] This family business that he had established was continued by his wife Fanny Breckler (née Masel, 1877–1942)[3] and two sons, Cecil and Alec, after his death in 1912. Fanny opened her first shoe store in Hay Street, Perth in the 1920s, named The Dainty Walk.[4][5]

The company has since changed its name at various times in its long history, including Cecil Bros, and Betts. In 1985, Andrew and Danny Breckler took over the family's business. The recent introduction of major suburban retail shopping centres had brought in competition from both national and international players. This development had created a difficult situation for local retailers, and put pressure on sales and margins. To combat this, Andrew started to expand the operations into the states of Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, with the aid of numerous acquisitions the company had made in the 1980s and early 1990s. During this time, Andrew helped the company become the "largest privately owned footwear group in Australia".[6] In the 1980s, the company opened dedicated children's footwear stores called Betts Kids.[7]

At the beginning of the 21st century, Danny, who was faced with a second surge of increased competition, repositioned the Betts Group, thereby changing it into a "vertically integrated business that could design and source its own products". The brand Zu Shoes was established in March 2003,[8] and Danny soon started designing and developing footwear products and accessories for manufacture in China. To reduce the level of third-party involvement in acquiring product from Chinese manufacturers, he also developed the Betts Group China Resource Centre, which handled quality control and transportation.[9] In 2008, the company launched standalone Airflex stores followed by standalone Betts for Her stores in 2010.[7]

In 2018, Betts Group announced it would close or sell 69 of its 170 stores. This included the closure of all Betts Kids stores and the sale of 22 Betts and Airflex locations to the Munro Footwear Group in March 2018.[4][10]

In late 2025, Betts underwent a rebrand, shifting its focus to women's footwear and accessories only.[11] In July 2026, Betts announced it had entered administration and would close 20 of its 35 stores. The company also said it would transition to eventually become an online-only business.[11]

Operations

The Betts Group is now run by the fifth generation of the family.[12] The head office is located in Osborne Park, Western Australia. The two-storey, 1,500 m2 (16,000 sq ft) office was awarded the Best New Commercial project under $5 million in Western Australia for 2006 by the MBA.[13]

Betts has stores in every Australian state and territory, offices in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and China, and a franchise store in the United Arab Emirates. The various brands reach a range of different demographics in society: children's shoes (Betts Kids), premium men and women's fashion footwear and accessories (Zu), and contemporary comfort/technological men's and women's fashion shoes (Airflex). Betts, which caters for people seeking contemporary affordable men and women's dress and casual footwear and accessories, has in some locations been replaced by Betts for Her, a variant of the Betts brand that stocks female-targeted products only.[9] The Betts for Her debut store was at Westfield Burwood in 2012.[14] Numerous international companies order Betts-designed shoes. Over 130 independent retailers in Australia now stock Airflex shoes.[9] Many of the shoes are designed and manufactured by Betts themselves, and this is done to allow them to oversee the quality of the production throughout the entire process.[12]

The business is built on a financial model based on 98% shoe and 2% handbag sales. The business, which is 100% retail, does not manufacture any of its products, and instead imports its footwear and other accessories from overseas suppliers.[15]

Betts' website allows purchases online.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Organisational Structure". Postie Plus Group Limited. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Betts Group: Business Summary". Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Rutland, Suzanne (2005). "Jewish Women". The Jews in Australia. Cambridge University Press. p. 115. ISBN 9781139447164. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 Smith, Sean (1 February 2018). "End of an era: No more kids shoes for Betts". The West Australian. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "REGISTER OF HERITAGE PLACES – ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTATION" (PDF). Heritage Council of Western Australia. 23 November 2001. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Your Exclusive Invitation to attend the Next Gen CEO Program" (PDF). Gen CEO. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. 1 2 Towers, Paula (7 September 2015). "All Betts are winners". Inside Retail. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "ZU WHO?". ZU. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Danny Breckler: Entepreneur of the Year". Ernst & Young: Entrepreneur of the Year. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Munro Footwear Group adds to footprint". Inside Retail. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 Yun, Jessica (1 July 2026). "'Run out of time': Betts calls in administrators, shuts 20 stores". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 "About Betts". Betts Group. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  13. ↑ "Betts Group National Head Office". Roxby Architects. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Betts for Her". Westfield Burwood. Retrieved 13 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ "Betts Group Pty Ltd: Australian Packaging Covenant" (PDF). Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  16. ↑ "Shoe Shopping Info". Betts Group. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.

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