Long-running Australian shoe retailer Betts will close 20 of its 35 retail stores as part of a massive restructure of the business, after it entered voluntary administration last week.
The family-owned retail chain has been operating for more than 130 years, having started out in 1892 as a small bootmaker’s shop in Perth, founded by Fanny Breckler.
The fifth-generation family-owned business grew into a national retail chain that once had close to 220 shoe stores in its network and became a mainstay for families shopping for school shoes for their children.
The brand was re-launched in October 2025, following a strategic repositioning led by marketing expert and Frank Body co-founder Jessica Hatzis.