In the company of Wayne Beales, the director of independent Harrogate jeweller Fattorinis

Name: Wayne Beales

Company name: Fattorinis

Job title: Director

Company address: 10 Parliament Street, Harrogate, HG1 2QZ.

Website address: www.fattorinis.co.uk

Company founded: 1831

Number of staff: 5

In a nutshell, what does your company do and how did it start?

We offer fine jewellery and prestige watches to our customers to help them celebrate landmark moments in theirs and their friends and families lives.

Our business was founded all the way back in the 1820’s by an Italian immigrant, Antonio Fattorini. His first shop was on the upper balcony of the Corn Exchange in Leeds, which coincidentally still exists!

Having made sufficient money in Leeds, in 1831 he opened a Jewellery shop in Harrogate curiously named The Oriental Lounge.

What is your role within the business?

As well as fulfilling a Directors statutory requirements, I manage the day to day business activities and finances.

I have a fantastic buying team but I am also ultimately responsible for liaising with our manufactures and suppliers to make sure we get the best value for money, after all we are a Yorkshire company!

If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

I have several interests and hobbies out of business none of which I am good enough at to have made a living.

I have always had an interest in property development having renovated houses in the past, but my real passions are playing tennis and aviation.

So in another life I suppose I would be a professional tennis player who was able to fly himself to tournaments.

What motivates you?

People. Everything we do here is centred around people, whether that’s customers, staff or suppliers.

What is one thing that you wish you had known when you started out in business?

You can’t do it all on your own. You need the right people around you.

The trick is to find them and for them to share the vision. In short work with people who “get it”.

What excites you about business?

The unlimited opportunities that exist if you let your imagination run riot.

What is your pet hate within business?

How long have you got. Probably the same as for most people. Bureaucracy, red tape, unnecessary paperwork, people who say no, when they really mean they cant be bothered and companies who don’t give simple good old-fashioned service.

I’d better stop there.

What advice would you give to people just starting their careers?

Go outside of your comfort zone. That is where you will learn the most.

Enthusiasm and a great attitude are essential in your chosen career, whatever path you choose.

You will meet people who try to pull you down to their level.

Resist them and instead look out for those who will help champion you and before long you will be the one helping others.

As I said before, you can’t do it all on your own.

Who in business do you most admire, and why?

I don’t want to duck the question but someone I respect and admire once told me that every business person should have a hero.

I thought about it and couldn’t choose one, so maybe its them.

They know who they are.

What moments of your career so far stand out?

Good or bad ? After 40 years in the industry and with no two days the same there have been lots of anecdotal funny moments like the many years I spent incorrectly writing a longstanding Malaysian customers address as “Listree”.

Eventually he plucked up the courage to tell me it was “Leeds 3”.

On a personal level my first managerial appointment with the Watches of Switzerland Group was a pivotal moment when I was in my early 20’s.

However without a doubt it was joining Fattorinis 21 years ago which eventually presented me with the opportunity to take over the business that gives me the most satisfaction.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic affect your business? If so, how did you adapt during such a tough time and what did you learn?

The pandemic obviously had a massive effect on our business and our staff as it did for all retailers.

The months of lockdown meant we accelerated the development and launch of our e-commerce website to take advantage of online sales.

We also developed ways of staying in touch with our customers and the relationships we forged over the years with our suppliers really helped us through the toughest periods.

As a business, the ability to adapt, to be innovative and to be nimble was something we learned very quickly.

Is your business currently experiencing any challenges at the moment?

All businesses experience challenges but there just seem to be more of them at the moment.

Putting energy prices to one side the main one for us at the moment is consumer confidence.

Generally people and businesses don’t like uncertainty or volatility and we have all suffered from plenty of that recently.

But I believe those businesses that can work out ways of navigating through the next 18months will be better as a result.

What sets your company apart from the competition?

We put customers at the centre of what we do. That sounds simple but I am constantly surprised at the number of businesses in our industry fail to do even the little things well.

The little things really matter and without them you will fail to do the big things.

Have you got a five-year plan for the company?

Not as such. The experience of the last of the last three years has shown that even the best laid plans can be thrown into turmoil.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have ambitions and we are always looking for ways to improve what we do, whether that is through the introduction of new products such as our “D Flawless” range of diamond engagement rings or through partnering with new and innovative company’s such as Shaun Leane Jewellery.

Why is it good to do business in Harrogate?

Although I have lived in Harrogate for 30 years I am originally form Leeds.

When I occasionally visit Leeds it always helps remind me of what is good about Harrogate.

That is not being disrespectful to Leeds.

Leeds is a vibrant, busy, cosmopolitan place to shop and work but I believe that given the choice many people who work there would choose to live in Harrogate for the quality of life, the outstanding setting of the town and the surrounding countryside.

We are so lucky that sometimes I am guilty of taking it for granted.