Bettys staff land £2m bonus despite slump in profits

The business, which owns Yorkshire Tea as well as six tea rooms across Yorkshire, saw turnover grow by 14 per cent from £102.8m to £117.3m in the year to October 31, 2011.

A steep rise in costs meant pre-tax profits dipped from £9.4m to £7.8m, but the group was able to distribute £2.1m to employees through its profit-sharing scheme.

Directors reported that the group had seen a “strong sales performance” in spite of a “high dependency on the retail market which is facing severe pressure in the current economic climate”.

The business employed 1,238 staff at the end of October 2011 – 30 more than it did the previous year.

It donated almost £200,000 to good causes overseas, particularly to countries from which it sources its tea and coffee.

Most of the money was channelled through the group’s Yorkshire Rainforest Project – a scheme aimed at saving a rainforest larger than the Yorkshire Dales by working with the Ashaninka people of Peru.

Some £43,000 was donated in cash or in kind to Yorkshire communities. Staff raised a further £35,000 for the region’s charities – an amount matched pound for pound by the business.