Joules clothing has gone bust!

[Zrt]

I just heard on the radio. Don't know what others think but I used to love their brightly coloured pyjamas.

I don’t know about anyone else but it’s not that for me. I adore M&S but have hated Joules in recent years for their declining fabric quality and ubiquitous appliquéd tweeness. It would have been easy to reverse the mistakes if they had tried.

The talks with Next fell through a couple of weeks ago. They've recently built a fancy new HQ as well, which can't have helped with cashflow.

It's a shame but they've been very lazy with designs and a lot of their stuff is quite dated.
I used to like buying the kids clothes when mine where little but rarely found anything I liked in women's wear.

I'm not surprised, I'm 52 and have never bought anything in there as always looks so frumpy and dated. I'm never sure who their target market is.
Same for a white Stuff.

I still like the Breton / quilted jacket look but I can't bear the flowers on top of the stripes look at Joules. I guess it's more of a countryside look that I don't understand as I'm surprised it's as popular as it is (was).

Don't we all.
But as you clearly think none of us should buy from Joules (even the 70 year olds) perhaps you could educate us?

Toddler clothing and comfort for the win as far as I'm concerned! I regularly wear a Boden Breton top with a pair of Lucy and Yak dungarees. I'm 40.

The difference IMO between Boden and Seasalt compared to Joules was that

1 Boden does plain 'classics' like their ponte trousers, plain T shirts and cashmere (at a price).

2 Seasalt is very much aimed at a 'sea lovers' country lifestyle and the coastal way of life.

Joules had no identity.

Basically, their branding was terrible because they didn't have a clearly defined market.

You could go into almost any mass-market clothes shops (Next, M&S, Primark) and pick up the same, for less. Unless you wanted a breton with stripes and flowers!

Funny how they become coy when asked where they shop.

Can we stop with running their stuff down please. Some of us like it. I live in Boden/Seasalt/Joules.

Ahhh thought they were having rather a lot of sales

There are still simpler, more muted, more grown-up clothes of reasonable quality on Boden if you look. Plain cashmere jumpers, knitted skirts, etc. I think perhaps they highlight the garish stuff too much.

I wear joules, fatface and seasalt. I’m doomed to be frumpy apparently.

People must be buying the weird stuff though or why are they making it?

Charge back rights are broadly the same for debit and credit IIRC, but credit has the additional section 75 protection.

Okay.

I shop for (my) clothes at;

Monsoon
East
Boden
Mint Velvet
La Redoute
Fatface
John Lewis
Marks & Spencer
Next
White Stuff
Hush

In roughly that preference order.

I am mid 40s and make no claims to be cool and trendy.

I still hate Joules. 😁

Maybe White Stuff will follow? (But that's another thread!)
IMO (and only mine) the quality is awful, prices high, and it's not like it was 15 years ago. The only people I know who wear a lot of it are primary school teachers, who like the leggings/casual trousers and flowery tunic type style.

I just had a pair of pyjamas delivered from there, so I'd say probably still safe to order at the moment.

I liked their coats, but as pp have said, Seasalt just as good if not better.

Boden won't go bust any time soon if my American friends are anything to go by, many of them are big fans. (I appreciate this is not scientific market analysis...)

I used to wear their stuff 10 years ago when I thought I could look country chic without living in the country. With hindsight I must have looked a dick . But the point I came in to make was that their clothes haven’t changed they are exactly the same as 10 years ago. It is a shame though as I do like their coats.

Agreed. I have a beautiful wool skirt from Boden. I always feel so good in it. I also have a long dress, which I love and is a novelty for me as I'm on 5'0 so I can rarely buy them. Boden have a petite range that actually fits me.

Next and M&S sell Joules, though probably not the full lot, probably better to buy through them if items people want are in stock

Agreed - Boden have very successfully positioned themselves as a quality heritage British brand in the USA. I imagine their growth markets are all international.

Abd following on from the post by @DobbyTheHouseElk I buy (not a lot these days) from

Boden (only the plain stuff)
John Lewis incl their Any Day and And/Or ranges
The White Company (in sales)
Mint Velvet (knitwear)
Comptoire (once, in sales)
Hush (occasionally)

I used to buy a lot from Jigsaw but their prices are now sky high.

Its a shame. I think its great for toddler/ young children clothing. I also love their big tweed coats. I agree about the womens tops not being my choice through.
Still a big shame to loose another retailer.
I hope i receive the order i placed last week

I love Joules girlfriend jeans. The quality is excellent and they fit me better than any other jeans on the high street. I’ve got quite a few dresses and skirts from Joules, too. I buy them in the sale, so they’re not that expensive, they don’t have flowers over stripes, they don’t standout as being from Joules, and I really like them.

It will be sad if they do close down, especially as a lot of people will be losing their jobs at an already very difficult time.