Plans for new Joules head office given green light

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 22, 2018

Joules has received planning permission to build a new 66,000-square-foot head office in Leicestershire, as the company looks to increase its workforce to almost 530 staff by 2024.

The fashion retailer was granted permission after submitting a planning application Harborough District Council earlier this year.

Located in Market Harborough, the new base sits on 4.7 acres of land and will include two mock shops for future Joules products and a café, according to reports.

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The brand, which sells premium country clothing for the family, is planning to extend and refurbish the existing Compass House with a barn-style look to bring its operations under one roof. Currently, the retailer’s teams are split across five buildings on Market Harborough.

Joules, which paid £4.4 million for the building last summer, is expanding after seeing strong revenue results in recent years. Sales were up by 18% to almost £186 million in the year to end of May 2018, while pre-tax profits soared 25% to £13 million.

Its range of country-inspired clothing with a British twist is also proving popular abroad, with overseas sales up by a third in the last financial year.

Joules has been based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire since it was founded in 1989. It also has offices in New York and Shanghai to support its international business.