Joe Browns 'future-proofs' with new buying director, warehouse investment

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jan 26, 2021

In positive moves to bolster future expansion plans, fashion and lifestyle retailer Joe Browns has appointed a new buying director and also completed a £1.5 million warehouse extension.

Jane Reik joins the Leeds, UK-based retailer to head its buying team, responsible for the Womenswear, Menswear and Homeware departments. Key objectives will be growing its nightwear and leisure ranges within womenswear and building on the launch of its homewares offer.

She joins from online fashion specialist N Brown where she was director of Womenswear Buying, overseeing brands such as Simply Be and JD Williams.

Simon Brown, founder and managing director of Joe Browns, said: “Jane… exhibits great passion and zeal, leaving me in no doubt she’s got the right attitude and toolkit to drive growth and innovation within the buying department”.

Reik added: “What really drew me to Joe Browns was the uniqueness of the product. “I'm really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for us in homeware as we look to expand our offering after an amazing reaction to the first exclusive launch last autumn.

“Growing our nightwear and leisure ranges within womenswear is going to be a focus for autumn/winter 2021, while menswear continues to go from strength to strength", she added.

And to deal with an expected growth in wider product demand, the company has completed a 27,000 square feet addition to its existing 60,000 square feet warehouse at its HQ.

The decision to push ahead with the expansion during the onset of the first national lockdown last March proved to be "vital", as shopping behaviour became ever more digital, it noted.

“We now have an 87,000 square feet warehouse with the potential to create a further 40,000 square feet in the future with a double mezzanine. The difference the extra space makes to our operations is huge. It allows us to think even bigger when considering future plans and projects”, the company said.

Finance director Darren Abbott added: “Despite the challenges 2020 posed, and there were a few, we never lost faith in the strength of the Joe Browns brand. The importance of investing in our future remained, and so our commitment to progression continued".

He added: “As we look forward to a new year in retail, it’s reassuring to know our dreams and intentions for the future are not restricted by our warehouse capacity. I anticipate more investment in both staff and facilities in the year ahead to accommodate the increasing demand online”.