The scale of Betts’ retail store closures has been revealed, with seven of its 11 Western Australian outlets set to shut, as administrators prepare to close 20 unprofitable locations nationwide.
The Fremantle-founded shoe retailer is closing more than half of its Australian stores in a business restructure promoted by a shift to online shopping, declining foot traffic and a challenging economic environment.
Insolvency firm Pitcher Partners has been running a ruler over the business since being called in on June 24, with the scale of the local stores closures now revealed.
Betts will shut the doors to its Hay Street Mall, Cockburn Gateway, Mandurah Forum, Watertown and Perth DFO locations following a stock sale period over the next two months.
However, the Whitford City store and one of the Joondalup stores are set to close this weekend.
In Western Australia, it is understood that about 70 in-store jobs have been impacted, two-thirds of which are casual employees. Betts is working to relocate staff where possible.
Betts’ other Joondalup location, Booragoon, Karrinyup and Carousel stores will continue to trade, alongside its flagship outlets in central Sydney and Melbourne.
Nationwide, Betts is closing 20 of its 35 stores as it continues its mandate over the past two years to close unprofitable locations and marginal retail outlets.
The retailer will keep the lights on at 15 locations nationwide.
At its peak in 2015, Betts operated 220 bricks-and-mortar stores through the brands Betts, AirFlex, Betts Kids, and Zu Shoes.
Betts managing director Michael Breckler is a decedent of the original Betts founding family, which opened their first Breckler Brothers store in Fremantle in 1892.
Since assuming the helm, he's been pursuing a return to profitability, closing loss-making stores, building e-commerce and rebranding the historic retail business.
Mr Breckler pivoted the family footwear-retailer away from selling men’s and children’s shoes to focus solely on women’s fashion; its core consumer base.
Upon calling in administrators, Mr Breckler said they'd run out of time to execute the restructure strategy on their own and remained committed to the success of the business going forward.
“It is always difficult to close stores but we have been clear over several years that some retail environments are simply not viable, and the shift towards online shopping has driven this decision," he said last month.
Pitcher Partners administrator Lindsay Bainbridge said they believed Betts had a strong outlook as a more streamlined operation.
“But the retail conditions and falling foot traffic in a lot of centres just are not sustainable for the business,” he said.
“We will close some stores, focus on strengthening others, and continue the company’s plans to expand retail online.”
The appointment of administrators and the business restructure comes after Betts recorded two conservative years of losses.
Betts posted sales revenue of $52.9 million in financial year 2025, an increase on the $51.6 million it generated in FY24.
It registered a loss of $2.2 million in FY25, an improvement on the $3.9 million loss during the previous period.
