Jack Wills news and archive

Jack Wills sees profit surge despite revenue dip in FY25

Jack Wills Retail Limited demonstrated a strong improvement in profitability during the fiscal year ended April 27, 2025, despite a decrease in revenue. The British brand managed to increase its operating profit by reducing the number of retail stores and improving gross margins. According to documents filed with Companies House, over the...

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Business

Jack Wills: Reduced store count impacts full year sales

Jack Wills, the fashion brand owned by Frasers Group, reported a revenue decline for the year ending April 28, 2024. Sales fell to 19.1 million pounds, down from 28.4 million pounds the previous year, primarily due to a reduced number of physical stores. In a filing with Companies House, the company revealed that underlying EBITDA dropped from...

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Fashion

Brand Machine Group signs Jack Wills global license agreement

Brand Machine Group, the international fashion brand owner and licensing house, has signed a long-term licensing partnership with Jack Wills. The two companies have worked collaboratively since 2020, launching the Jack Wills kidswear globally, and the new deal will see an adult offering added to the proposition to expand the brand into markets...

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Retail

British menswear brand Aubin returns with backing from Next

Peter Williams, founder of Jack Wills and Aubin and Wills brands, has announced he is relaunching menswear brand, Aubin this autumn with the backing of Next following a nine-year hiatus. Aubin will return with a new hybrid business model designed to “future proof retail in a post-covid world”. Williams said this means that the brand will...

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Fashion

Jack Wills launches kidswear range

Jack Wills has partnered with childrenswear license partner Brand Machine Group (BMG) to launch its first kidswear range. The license agreement means BMG will design, manufacture and market childrenswear apparel and accessories for boys and girls aged up to 16 years. The Jack Wills childrenswear collection will initially expand the brand’s...

Retail

Jack Wills announces more permanent store closures

Jack Wills has announced the permanent closure of 17 more stores, bringing the total number of stores it has closed for good this week to 31. The British lifestyle brand has now announced the closure of 42 closures since it was rescued out of administration by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group in August 2019. A spokesperson for the brand said: “The...

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Business

Rise in companies falling into administration in 2019

Store closures and companies falling into administration increased by just under 5 percent over 2019, according to new analysis from KPMG. A study of notices in the London Gazette shows that a total of 1,403 companies went into administration during 2019, compared to 1,341 in the previous year. The rise was driven by a spike in insolvencies in...

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Business

Sports Direct's H1 profits rise, bullish on recovery at House of Fraser

Group revenue for the first half year at Sports Direct International was up 14 percent to 2,043.5 million pounds (2,740 million dollars), which the company said was largely due to acquisitions contributing 222.5 million pounds, growth in premium lifestyle, growth in wholesale and licensing and the full period of revenue from House of Fraser....

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Jack Wills CEO exits following Sports Direct takeover

Jack Wills CEO Suzanne Harlow has left her position at the company just two weeks after it was bought in a pre-pack administration deal by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct. Harlow exited the Jack Wills on Tuesday and did not resign or quit, a source from the casualwear retailer told Retail Gazette. The source couldn’t confirm whether the decision...

Retail

Sports Direct shuts eight Jack Wills stores

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has closed eight Jack Wills stores and may close more if landlords don’t agree to cut rents. The closed stores are in Marlborough, Derby, Reigate, Rock, Tunbridge Wells, Durham, Kingston and St Albans. Sports Direct said it would try to redeploy affected staff elsewhere in the group, The Financial Times reports. Jack...

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Sports Direct acquires Jack Wills for 12.75 million pounds

Finally Mike Ashley's company has won the bid to acquire troubled fashion retailer Jack Wills’ assets and stores across the UK and Ireland and the international Jack Wills brand for a cash consideration of 12.75 million pounds. The company made an announcement after the stock market closed yesterday. Sports Direct acquires Jack Wills After Jack...

Retail

Jack Wills to be sold to either Sports Direct or Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group

British lifestyle brand Jack Wills has two potential buyers to avoid it falling into administration. Sports Director founder Mike Ashley and Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s billionaire CEO Philip Day are the last bidders left to buy the company, according to Sky News. Devon-based Jack Wills employs over 1,800 people and operates 110 stores, including...