Joules appoints Asda director as new chief executive

Joules has poached a top director from supermarket Asda to fill the shoes of the clothing brand’s departing chief executive.

Nick Jones will succeed current boss Colin Porter, whose retirement was announced this year.

He has been with Asda since 2011, when he was appointed to run the George clothing brand.

More recently his remit has expanded to include homeware and food in his role as senior vice president for commercial.

Prior to joining the supermarket, he spent 15 years with Marks & Spencer, latterly as director of home, beauty and gifts.

Ian Filby, non-executive chairman of Joules, said: “On behalf of the board and everyone at Joules, I am thrilled to welcome Nick as our next CEO.

“Nick’s extensive retail, brand and strategy credentials, as well as a clear alignment with the Joules values, made him the outstanding candidate for the role.”

The appointment comes after a run of positive trading updates for the British clothing and lifestyle brand, which most recently reported a 17.6% increase in revenue for the 26 weeks to November 25.

Mr Jones said there were further opportunities to expand the brand’s presence both abroad and digitally.

“Whilst the business and brand has achieved fantastic growth over recent years, I share the Board’s view that there are tremendous growth opportunities ahead, driven, in particular, by further international expansion and online growth,” he said.

“I have been impressed by the talent, energy and dedication of the people at Joules that I’ve met so far, and I’m looking forward to working with the wider team to deliver the group’s growth strategy – building on its strong foundations to further develop Joules as an international lifestyle brand.”

Mr Porter, who has been with Joules for eight years and served as CEO for five, announced last month that he would retire by the end of the current financial year.

He will remain on board for a short handover period to Mr Jones later this year before stepping down.

Market Harborough-based Joules, which was founded by Tom Joule in 1989, has 123 stores across the UK and Ireland, as well as an online arm and wholesale business that supplies over 2,000 stockists worldwide.

The brand is available across the United States, Germany, France and other European markets, with global sales now accounting for around half of total wholesale revenue.

It is known for its brightly-coloured apparel for both adults and children, especially its patterned wellington boots.