Clothing firm’s rags to riches story
Joules Market Harborough
IT BEGAN as a one-man business, selling polo shirts at country shows.
But 17 years on, Harborough success-story Joules is celebrating its third appearance in The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 – a list of this country’s fastest growing businesses over the last three years.
The family-run business was ranked 82nd in this year’s list, published at the weekend, with a sales growth of 54 per cent a year – from £14.1m in 2007 to £51.2m in 2010.
The company has come a long way since chief executive officer Tom Joule began selling polo shirts at country shows in 1994.
The business proved successful locally until 2001, when the foot and mouth outbreak saw many of the shows cancelled.
But rather than give up, Mr Joule saw it as an opportunity to grow the business through wholesale and mail order.
The business expanded over the following years with the first shop opening in Harborough a few years later.
In addition to the shop in Harborough’s High Street and HQ at The Point business park, Joules now has more than 30 stores at locations across the country, including a flagship outlet at London’s exclusive Covent Garden.
It also has stores in France and Scandinavia and stockists across Europe and North America.
Starting as a clothing retailer, it has branched out into homeware products.
Mr Joule said: “We are very proud of everything at Joules, from our collections, our staff, our stores and our website.
“This latest achievement represents years of dedication and hard work and we are well placed to ensure an even more successful 2012.”
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Monday 21 May 2012
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