British fashion brand to shut 13-year-old store for good in days

An iconic British fashion brand is the latest retailer to take store closure action as it prepares to shut one of its 13-year-old branches for good this weekend. Established in 1989 by Tom Joule, Joules sells clothing, accessories, and homeware. The retailer prides itself on being authentically British by design but has struggled to stand the test of time on the high street.

Shoppers in Salisbury, England, will bid farewell to their local Joules branch this weekend. Located on New Canal in Salisbury, the store will close its doors on Monday, April 21, following a “difficult decision” by company bosses.

With just a week remaining for customers to visit, a solemn announcement graced the shopfront last week: “This store is closing. We’ve taken the decision to close this store on April 21.”

The sign thanked loyal patrons: “We’d like to thank you for supporting us over the years.”

Shoppers were reminded that Joules remains reachable online with the prompt: “And remember, you can always find us online at joules.com.”

However, locals remain upset about another high-street shop disappearing from their city centre.

One Facebook user vented: “Another shop closing! Salisbury needs to wake up before it dies in its sleep. Parking is too expensive, and the restrictions are too extensive!”

A second person chimed: “Sad, another good shop leaving the city, soon won’t be any left that are worth a visit.”

Founder and CEO Tom Joule acknowledged the challenge of ceasing operations at the site, deeming it a “difficult decision” from a “thorough review of retail operations.”

The closure comes two years after a big change to the company’s financial rearrangement.

Joules entered administration in 2022 but was quickly snapped up by Next in 2023 for a cool £34 million.

Next’s chief executive, Lord Simon Wolfson, shared a bright outlook on the brand’s trajectory following its acquisition of Joules, highlighting “exceptional product, marketing and brand-building skills with Next’s Total Platform infrastructure.”

The buyout saved 100 stores from closure, but 19 were earmarked to shut for good, affecting 133 staff across the UK.

Numerous Joules outlets, including the London Stratford store, have been shuttered in the past year as part of comprehensive restructuring plans.

Shoppers in Oban, Scotland, bid farewell to a store earlier in February. The Joules store located in the Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell also closed in January.

Express.co.uk has contacted Joules for comment.