What’s going on with Boden?

[Farawayfromhere]

HUUUUGE sale that has gone on for weeks and weeks. Very little new stock. Reminds me of recent events at Joules… Does anyone know what’s happening?

In my local mall here in the US the hairdresser and make up store have both closed. Spending by mothers is the first thing to go in a downturn. It doesn’t surprise me this has affected Boden.

I think Boden has long had way too many lines. No surprise they can't shift some of the stuff - some of it is frankly hideous. 6/7 years ago I bought something from there practically every month. Now I think I've bought one thing tho is year? Kids stuff continues to be good though, now better than Frugj (which has gone downhill in the last two years).

Their stuff is awful. I remember looking through their website approx 10 years ago and wanting loads of it (was beyond my budget then!) Now I could buy from them and I hate it all. Loads of twee flowers on everything, whereas it used to be possible to find really nice, simple, well cut items there. I do still like a lot of their shoes, that said.

I think they've lost their way and it's not clear who their target audience is now, so it's no wonder if they are struggling.

I used to buy lots when they sold good quality smart casual in natural fabrics. Corduroy, cotton and denim skirts and dresses and good quality basic tops, and great knitwear. The catalogue photos were so different back then too, they made me feel like these clothes suit my lifestyle. Now it's mostly cheap fabrics at inflated prices and none of the useful items that build the base of a good smart casual work wardrobe...

I have really only ever bought their kids things, and in the past have wanted to buy so many things.
There has been nothing nice for ages.

Fat face sale is still going too so I don't think it's too unusual?

I think the thing is it was adaptable - i could be a 20s hipster and buy a couple of good things to mix in to the work wardrobe, there something for my unbelievably classy well dressed 60s mum, something for me as a sahm who wanted to be comfy and a bit quirky- lovely wool jumpers for standing in the park. There were very ‘Boden’ things which is fine and also lots of handy high quality neutrals.

Now it’s just a bit per Una on hallucinogens?

Now it’s just a bit per Una on hallucinogens?

😂this is just the perfect way of describing it!

Totally agree - I was buying something every season from them a few years ago but the last couple of years I’ve trawled the ranges (and had a good look through all the Sales stuff) and just can’t find anything I like.
also I can’t get any of my sizes in the sale stuff anyway.

the prices have been going up steadily and now there’s no way I’m going to pay full price for any of their stuff. Dresses especially are ridiculously priced.

There seems to be a lot of their stuff in TK Maxx at the moment, clearly have too much unsold stock.

If they could bring back the workwear they used to do around 3 years ago I’d be so happy. Great dresses in ponte fabric, great cuts. Nothing like that anymore. Such a shame

There's just too much there. I remember the paper catalogues in the mid 00s and they would have 4 or 5 styles of dress maybe in 4 prints. Same for skirts and tops plus basics in a few colours.
Just looked on the website and there are 256 midi dresses alone. Significant amounts of summer stock on there that they are still trying to clear. The quality had dropped as they have increased the number of lines too. And some of their items are seriously unflattering. Like this dress. I don't even know who the target market is for this

www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/cut-out-maxi-party-dress/sty-d0474

They've totally lost track of who their customer base is. They are throwing more and more designs out there without having a clue who might buy it.

I am getting ENDLESS texts from them with further reductions all the time!

I have just spend a little bit of time looking and there is NOTHING I would wear

yy Hobnobs. I have still got the Riviera dress in red and I forget the name green spotty v neck and back sleeveless dress, my mate had the pale blue one, still going strong and the boiled wool coat from about 12 years ago has just been consigned to the recycling.

Ten years ago I could buy my entire work wardrobe and loads of casual stuff from Boden. There’s nothing I want to buy now. The patterns are rank, the dress lengths either too short or too long (hence nothing suitable for work) and the fabrics are nasty synthetic shite at exorbitant prices.

There's too many frills and crop tops for my liking

They also wash really bad now too I think. I got something as a present recently and daren't wash it as I know it will bobbly and maybe even faded instantly!

The other dress was called Regatta.

I’ve stopped buying as the quality has dropped so much and the prices are bonkers. Seven years ago I bought the perfect Boden v-neck cashmere jumper with just the right amount of slouch. It still looks good as new and is a lovely weight. Five years later, I bought the same style jumper in a different colour - and despite it being more expensive, the quality is much much worse. The jumper is altogether shorter and meaner, the rib on the hip, neckline and cuffs is stingy, the wool is much thinner and has bobbled badly. It’s everything that’s wrong with Boden in a jumper!

I’ve only bought one thing from Boden since - a shirred linen maxi dress that is a great colour, is excellently constructed from weighty cloth, and has no weird detail. But I only bought that after seeing it in person in the Kings Rd shop. (Where many other things looked decidedly saggy — there’s so much cheap viscose going on).

To be fair, most shops seem to have ongoing sales, not just Boden.

Seems normal to me! It's the time of year for sales. Also, most companies started sales before Christmas because sales were down for everyone.

That said, Boden does seem to be having issues. I heard it's because there's a new person in charge of design or buying or something similar and she's all about racial issues. That means colours that many Boden customers don't look good in, like only pink and yellow options plus a navy blue. And cuts that that have changed. Everyone has wardrobes full of navy after three or four years of this. Boden has alienated many of its usual customers (possibly to succeed in the USA) and still they're not getting why sales have fallen and making changes.

Boden is also very dependent on manufacturing in China and there have been major supply chain problems in China because of Covid. So yes, things are often out of stock for weeks or months. This is something (exploiting Chinese workers and taking manufacturing out of the UK) that bothers me and I haven't shopped at Boden as often since I found out about it.

They do refund on 'wear and tear' which is the only advantage to their crap fabrics as I've inadvertently got my money back a few times now on stuff that has gone very worn very quickly.

So if you want to wear something a lot in a short space of time....

I think they're trying to appeal to a much younger age group which alienates their previous customers. And their prices are ridiculous now.

🙌