Ambitious Joules Chooses SEKO Logistics to Drive Global Multichannel Expansion

Joules, the UK-based premium lifestyle brand, has signed a three-year contract with SEKO Logistics to support its global expansion, deliver total visibility of its supply chain, and generate cost benefits through improved business performance.   

Under the terms of the agreement, SEKO will manage Joules’ global supply chain from all of their sourcing locations in Asia and the Indian Sub-continent into their distribution centre in Corby in the UK and into the United States, including all customs and compliance requirements. SEKO is also responsible for managing the global supply of products to Joules’ other wholesale markets through its Bonded Logistics Park (BLP) in Shanghai. At its BLP in China, SEKO will receive deliveries from Joules’ suppliers and   pick and pack orders directly for Joules’ customers outside of the UK and U.S markets.

Joules’ merchandisers and buyers will be able to view real-time information of the company’s supply chain using MySEKO, a customized web-based transportation and logistics portal. It provides access to all of SEKO’s technology solutions, which enable customers to control distribution costs and automate dispatches as well as providing online solutions to manage vendors, access real-time shipment tracking, and print bills of lading and shipping labels, view account balances and run customized management reports – all from a single portal.         

Working in partnership with SEKO will enable Joules’ executive team to focus on managing the company’s rapid retail, wholesale and e-commerce growth. In its last financial year, Joules’ revenues rose 14.2%, supported by a 12.8% rise in retail sales and a 17.3% increase in e-commerce sales. Joules’ wholesale sales also climbed 18.3% in a year that saw the company open a further 10 new stores and achieve a 33% growth in its active customer base to 824,000.

David Emerson, SEKO Logistics’ Group Sales & Marketing Director, said: “Joules is a great brand for us to be working with and we are a strong fit. Our track record of working with multichannel retailers and ability to quickly implement our own software and shipping solutions means we’ve already identified savings and cost controls for Joules, such as offering a direct pick and pack solution in Shanghai for customers outside of the UK and U.S. We’re also looking at other areas of expansion and assistance, including cross border e-commerce delivery into key markets and customs warehousing in the UK. Over the next three years, we will play an important role in helping to facilitate Joules’ strategic growth in both its existing and new markets.”

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

Joules - ‘A contemporary British lifestyle brand’

• Born in the British countryside and crafted with true British style and eccentricity, Joules designs upbeat, colourful clothing for all who love the outdoors and live life to the full. 
• Established by Tom Joule in Market Harborough in 1989, Joules was born after Tom’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to identify an opportunity for practical yet stylish high-quality products which reflect the character and colourful personalities of those who love the outdoors. 
• Being a true multi-channel lifestyle brand, Joules’ carefully designed collections spanning womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, homeware, toiletries and eyewear are distributed across retail stores, online, catalogue mail order, shows and wholesale channels.

Since its inception in 1989 Joules has remained true to its bold British heritage, whilst evolving to remain in tune with what customers want today. An unrivalled attention to detail and the thinking to provide something different where it’s least expected remain at the heart of everything Joules creates.

www.joules.com  |  www.joulesgroup.com

 

Joules fast facts

• Joules is an international brand, available in the USA, Germany and France as well as travel destination stores like St Pancras and Waterloo station
• Joules’ talented in-house design team lovingly crafts all of the prints you’ll see within its collections
• The brand is a true multi-channel retailer, having traded across five channels over the past ten years
• Bursting with eccentricity, Joules is proud of its British heritage and still has strong roots in Market Harborough, the site of its first shop and headquarters
• Colin Porter took the reins as CEO in September 2015, with Tom focusing on creative control
• Joules won Mainstream Brand of the Year at the Drapers Awards 2016 and has previously won the Drapers Best British Fashion Retailer of the Year at the 2015 awards

 

About SEKO Logistics

We provide a suite of logistics services which enable you to use your supply chain as a competitive differentiator. As a customer centric organization, we are powered by the expertise of our people and our in-house-developed, best in class, customizable technology.

It is this combination which gives SEKO its strength. With over 120 offices in 40 countries worldwide, SEKO’s unique shareholder management model enables you to benefit from our specific industry sector expertise, coupled with vital in-country knowledge and unparalleled service at the local level. This unique model provides you with:

• Hands-on service and support
• Personal relationships
• Creative, customized solutions
• Responsiveness and reliability
• Flexibility and consistence

We have a flat management structure, with just three layers between you and the CEO, making us ‘fast on our feet’ in delivering solutions that can meet your exact requirements. This lean and nimble structure increases our decision-making speed and gives us an ability to implement customized solutions which far exceed those of our competitors. For more information visit our website www.sekologistics.com