Cmdr. Lauren Hanzel, had no idea her pair of black Bates Oxford-style shoes were about to fail during an awards ceremony. Hanzel hadn’t noticed anything amiss with her shoes, only a couple of ...

The company, owned by Gary Bates, operated two stores: Bawtry Shoe Company in Bawtry, Doncaster and Hobson Shoes in Grantham, Lincolnshire. These have now been bought by Bates’ brother Mark, who also ...