Fashion chain Joules enters administration – leaving jobs at Ollerton and South Normanton branches at risk

The company, which sells clothing and homeware products, has a branch at the McArthurglen Designer Outlet East Midlands in South Normanton and another at Center Parcs’ Sherwood Forest Holiday Village, near Ollerton.

The Leicestershire-based company employs some 1,600 people across its 132 stores nationwide.

Next had reportedly started discussions with Joules over acquiring a stake in the ailing firm, but these talks ended in September.

The business had hoped to secure emergency funding, and negotiations were said to be at an ‘advanced’ stage only last week, but these talks were also unsuccessful.

The company has not commented on the future of any individual stores – and has said that it will continue to ‘operate as usual’ ahead of the important Christmas period.

Joules was founded by Tom Joule back in 1989, and started out by selling clothes at country fares.

It set up its own clothing line a decade later and began to open stores across the UK from 2000 onwards.

Mr Joule said: “Today is a deeply disappointing day for Joules, and a sad day for me personally.

“Since the brand’s early days of selling at country shows across the UK, we have always enjoyed a special relationship with our customers, and that hasn’t changed, as is demonstrated by our healthy brand indicators.

“However, we recognise our business has become too complex and our model today is not aligned to succeed in the current, tough trading environment.”