Joules
IndustryRetail
Founded1989 (1989)
FounderTom Joule
Headquarters
Market Harborough
,
England
Number of locations
123 stores, remainder are stockists
BrandsJoules, Little Joule, Baby Joule
Number of employees
1,823
ParentNext plc
Websitejoules.com

Joules is a British clothing company which sells clothing and homeware products inspired by British country lifestyles.[1][2] Its founder Tom Joule described its business model in 2011 as creating clothing with "colour and fun and entertainment".[3]

Established by selling clothing at country shows, the company established its own clothing line in 1999 and began to open shops in the 2000s.[4][5] As of 2018, the company had 123 stores and a turnover of £185.9m.[6]

History

A Joules shop in Kingston upon Thames

Originally established as Joule & Sons in 1977 by Ian Joule, his son Tom took over the business in 1989. Joule & Son originally sold branded clothing and accessories at equestrian and country shows. Seeing a gap in the market for colourful country clothing as an alternative to traditional styles, Tom ordered 100 pairs of pink wellington boots to be manufactured, which sold out almost immediately.[3]

In 1994, Joule & Son rebranded as Joules. The company's strategy changed to sell branded goods at minor fairs, and by 1997 had experienced success in selling branded outdoor clothing at bigger shows.[4] In March 1999, Joules premiered its first clothing collection under its own name.[3][7] In September 2000, Joules opened their first store next door to the café owned by his father in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.[3] The company remains based in Market Harborough and its products are manufactured in China.

With the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, almost all the shows that Joules intended to sell at were cancelled. In response, the company pivoted to selling clothing directly to retailers.[7] The company's mail order catalogue business was launched in 2002,[4] with its website following in 2003. Joules launched Little Joule in 2008, designed for 2–12 year olds. Following the popularity of Little Joule, Baby Joule was established in 2009.[8]

Between 2003 and 2010, the company saw turnover increase from £3m to £50m, with mail order and internet sales accounting for a fifth of turnover by 2010.[9] By early 2011, Joules saw its high street network rise to a total of 52 stores.[10] During May 2016, Joules completed a successful stock exchange listing on the Alternative Investment Market.[11]

On 1 December 2022, 19 branches nationwide closed for the final time.[12]

Products

Multicoloured wellington boots made by Joules

The Joules collection includes contemporary men's, women's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories. It began with wellies, country-inspired clothing and polo shirts and although these products still form a key part of the range, much of the collection is now fashion-focused. The Little Joule brand is aimed at the children's clothing market and was launched in 2008, followed by Baby Joule in 2009.[13] In 2019, Joules announced a partnership with Peter Rabbit for its kids range.[14]

Joules started selling home and garden products in 2013 and in 2014 launched an optical line in partnership with Vision Express.[15] In 2015 Joules launched a range of home fragrances and toiletries.

Stores

In 2015, Joules opened travel stores in Gatwick Airport, and at the Waterloo and St. Pancras railway stations in London.[16][17]

As of 2018, there were over 123 Joules stores in the UK,[18] with flagship stores in Cheltenham, Norwich and York.[19]

Recession

In March 2020, Joules asked the government to do more to support UK retail staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The company saw a decline in revenue at its 124 UK and Ireland outlets following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK.[20]

In 2022, the economic situation worsened even more, with many consumers cutting their costs in the face of soaring costs of living. This caused significantly less sales for Joules, which prompted the company to start talks with potential investors to secure extra funds. However, the talks failed, and the company went into formal administration on 16 November 2022, putting 1,600 jobs at risk.[21][22]

On 1 December 2022, a last minute bid by NEXT PLC secured the company with only 19 stores closing. Since then a number of other stores have been closed, leaving very few High Street stores left and some outlet stores.[23]

Stockists

Joules clothing and products can also be found in various stockists in the UK and internationally. This includes:

References

  1. ↑ Hounslea, Tara (2015-03-18). "Joules expansion on track as it opens 99th store". Drapers. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  2. ↑ Pegden, Tom (2015-06-11). "Joules secures £11 million in credit to fund European growth". Leicester Mercury. Archived from the original on 2015-06-14. Retrieved 2015-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tyzack, Anna (2011-01-04). "Joules lifestyle brand: funking up the shires". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  4. 1 2 3 "One to Watch: Joules". Marketing Magazine. 2005-11-16. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  5. ↑ Berwin, Lisa (2010-07-23). "Joules eyes major city centres as profits soar". Retail Week. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  6. ↑ Group, Joules. [file:///Users/jonnydavies/Downloads/annual-report-2017-2018.pdf "Annual report 17/18"] (PDF). Joules Group. Retrieved 2019-07-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. 1 2 "Horse sense helped clothing venture". The Daily Telegraph. 2005-10-29. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  8. ↑ Hazell, Kyrsty. "Introducing the brand new Baby Joule collection". Made for Mums. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  9. ↑ "Tom Joule looks to be hands-on once again". Leicester Mercury. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  10. ↑ Hurley, James (2011-01-11). "Retail: Joules's plan for 2011". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  11. ↑ "Joules share price surges on market debut - FundsandShares.co.uk". Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
  12. ↑ "Two Joules stores in Dorset close today following Next takeover deal". Bournemouth Daily Echo. December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  13. ↑ "Joules launches eyewear collection with Vision Express". The Retail Bulletin. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  14. ↑ Global, License (2019-06-20). "PETER RABBIT, JOULES PARTNER FOR KIDS APPAREL". License global. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  15. ↑ Davies, Taryn (2014-05-02). "Joules launches first Eyewear range". Female First. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  16. ↑ Barras-Hill, Luke (2013-12-13). "Joules enters airport retailing at Gatwick". Frontier Magazine. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  17. ↑ Goldfingle, Gemma (2012-07-17). "New Waterloo retail space opens ahead of Olympics". Retail Week. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  18. ↑ Group, Joules. "Annual Report 17/18" (PDF). Joules Group. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  19. ↑ Thompson, James (2011-04-25). "Joules bucks high-street trend with profits leap". Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  20. ↑ Pegden, Tom (20 March 2020). "Calls on Government to do more to protect retail workers from clothes chain Joules amid coronavirus pandemic". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Administrators appointed to fashion retailer Joules Group which employs 1,600 staff". 16 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "Joules to call in administrators". TheGuardian.com. 14 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Gill, Oliver (December 2022). "Next Last Minute Bid". The Telegraph.
  24. ↑ Tugby, Luke (2015-03-15). "Joules international sales almost double after US growth". Retail Week. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  25. ↑ Felstead, Andrea (2015-06-26). "Reborn in the USA". Financial Times. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
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