Fashion and homeware retailer Joules is to open four shops, in Northallerton, Harrogate, Basingstoke and Gretna, taking its estate to around 57 sites. The expansion marks a new stage in the chain’s recovery since it collapsed into administration in November 2022, when Next bought a 74% stake for £28.8 million alongside founder Tom Joule.
At its peak, Joules ran more than 100 shops before the administration cut the estate to about 53 sites. Under the rescue deal, Next holds 74% of the revived business against a £28.8 million investment, split between £15.7 million of equity and a £13.1 million loan, while Tom Joule kept a 26% stake. The retailer now trades through its remaining shops, its own website and Next’s online platform, which also carries a share of its stock alongside Next’s own ranges.
The four new sites are the first confirmed net additions to the shop estate since the 2022 collapse, reversing several years in which the chain’s site count only fell or held steady. Neither Next nor Joules has published a target for how many further shops might follow.
Four sites across England and Scotland
The new shops are planned for Northallerton and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Basingstoke in Hampshire, and the Caledonia Park designer outlet at Gretna in Scotland. Three of the four sites are due to open before the end of 2026, with the fourth following in 2027. Retail Gazette reported that Joules is recruiting for the sites, including store manager and sales roles.
A brand rebuilt under Next’s ownership
Joules is not a franchise: its shops are company-operated under Next’s majority ownership, with Tom Joule retaining a minority stake and no franchise offer published by either party, a distinction covered in 10 key terms every UK franchisee should know.The administration in November 2022 followed a period of falling sales and rising costs, and the business was bought out of administration the following month in a deal that kept the Joules brand trading rather than winding it up. The arrangement left Next in control of strategy while the Joules name, design team and store format all continued.
Good to know
Joules trades as a company-operated retailer, not a franchise. There is no franchise offer published on either the Joules or the Next website, so the new shops will be staffed and run directly by the business rather than by independent operators.
Part of a wider run of post-administration reopenings
Joules joins a run of UK fashion and homeware chains that have continued trading, and in some cases expanded again, after being bought out of administration by a larger group, rather than reopening through the franchised route some collapsed brands have taken, as an in-depth guide to franchising in the United Kingdom describes. For Next, the stake in Joules sits alongside its Total Platform business, which hosts several other brands’ online and store operations, extending its reach across the high street beyond its own fascia.
What comes next for the estate
With three sites due within months and a fourth in 2027, the estate is set to grow for the first time since the 2022 collapse. Further openings have not been announced, and Next and Joules have not published a wider target for the chain’s shop numbers.
