My story... Tom Joule

We hear about the path taken by inspiring entrepreneurs and experts, along with the invaluable lessons they’ve learnt along the way

I started selling socks, hats and jumpers – sourced in the UK – at country shows and equestrian events, before taking over my father’s clothes shop in the then-quiet Leicestershire town of Market Harborough. Our store sold womenswear and gifts, and I remember noticing that there was a real contrast between ‘normal’ clothes and outdoor wear. It seemed to me that outdoor clothing primarily came in shades of green and brown – there was no exciting print or bold colour like you’d see on the high street.

The early 1990s was a time when lifestyles were changing,

and reconnecting with the outdoors was becoming increasingly popular. However, this developing culture and its inherent sense of fun wasn’t yet reflected in practical country clothing. I could see there was a gap in the market – an opportunity to fuse fashion and outdoor outfits – so, in 1998, I started producing more interesting garments that ranged from floral wellies to brightly coloured quilted gilets. There was nothing else like that at the time – I knew then that I had hit on something special.

It was important to move quickly

to cement Joules’s unique position in the market. I brought in some strong, like-minded creatives and put in place an agile, credible sourcing structure. We believed in our products and could see their potential. Some more established brands tried to imitate what we were doing, but the way we were selling gave us an advantage. Every day I was talking to my customers – the feedback you get from that is invaluable. We understood their aspirations, passions and, most importantly, what they were looking for in their clothing. We knew that style and functionality were of equal significance, and chose to focus on detail and quality, with a price that appealed to our customers.

As is the case for all business owners,

it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Without a doubt, the biggest challenge we faced was the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001. Back then, our only route to market was the country shows and events circuit. The epidemic resulted in the entire show scene in the UK being shut down, leaving us with no events and a lot of stock. It was a very stressful period, but, for all its difficulties, it forced us to evolve and to start trading in other ways. We spent weeks knocking on the doors of independent stockists and ended up selling everything. From this, our wholesale channel was born and we are now sold in more than 1,500 stockists worldwide.

In 2003 we received a £15,000 grant from the Government

as compensation for the impact of foot-and-mouth, which we invested into catalogues and a mail order system – this resulted in the beginning of our e-commerce channel. Then, in 2005, we started opening stores and, just over ten years later, we have more than 100 shops, offices in four countries and more than 1,500 employees.

To find out more about Tom and his business, visit joules.com. This year Joules celebrates its 30th birthday. Visit joules. com/making-memories to see how it is celebrating three decades of delivering fun and quality clothing for families, whatever the weather.