| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion Clothing Apparel |
| Genre | Retail |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder(s) | Ceri Burton Peter Williams Robert Shaw |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Number of locations | 45 |
| Area served | United Kingdom Ireland United States Hong Kong |
| Products | Clothing, Homewares |
| Revenue | £41.8 million (2009)[1] |
| Net income | £5.1 million (2009)[1] |
| Employees | 1,130 (2009)[1] |
| Website | www.jackwills.com www.jackwillsoutlet.com |
Jack Wills is a mid-range[2] British clothing brand aimed at university students. The fashion label uses the brand and registered trademark "Jack Wills – University Outfitters" to reflect the inspiration behind the brand.[3]
The original Jack Wills store opened in Salcombe, Devon in 1999, before expanding to include a current chain of forty nine stores throughout the UK and Ireland, three of which are outlet stores. Nine stores are located in London, with the remainder typically found in university towns and seaside resorts. Four stores can also be found in Scotland and two in Ireland. Jack Wills' first stores in the US opened in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Boston in July 2010. [4]
The Jack Wills brand is partly owned by Jack Wills Ltd, a private limited company registered in the UK, whilst a minority stake is held by the private equity firm Inflexion after an investment deal in 2007.[5]
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Jack Wills was founded in 1999 by Peter Williams and Robert Shaw,[6] the former who named the company after his grandfather, Jack Williams.[7] The original store was in Salcombe, Devon located at 22 Fore Street. This original address is often written into the Jack Wills handbook, clothing labels and in-store signs. In 2008 the Aubin & Wills brand was launched, designed to appeal to older customers.[8] The majority of Jack Wills stores are in the UK, however there are two branches in Ireland: Kildare and Dublin. There are eleven stores in the US. Jack Wills usually uses navy blue and pink for their products. For both labels, Jack Wills often picks authentic historical buildings to house its stores, trading from old pubs (Kings Road) to town houses (Marlow). Although Jack Wills retail stores are currently only in the UK, the US and Hong Kong, the website provides international shipping to Europe, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.[9]
| “ | Our clothing draws heavily on the British heritage and culture, which is created by our designers. Design inspiration follows British military history, British sporting traditions, British country pursuits and living with quirky product / fabric details to reflect eccentric British style. This is integral to the ‘Jack Wills Fabulously British’ concept and look.[3] | ” |
In May and July 2010, Jack Wills opened three American stores in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Boston In the summer of 2011 JW opened eight further stores on the East Coast in the US, for example New Haven, Southampton, Newport and Philadelphia. Despite this new venture, CEO Peter Williams stated the brand will remain "British, British, British".[10]
Jack Wills' products can be viewed online, in their publication the "Jack Wills Handbook" and in-store.[11] The "Handbooks" are released each season: the Autumn Term Handbook, the Christmas Handbook, the Spring Term Handbook, the Easter Handbook, the Summer Term Handbook and the Summer Holiday Handbook. Jack Wills’ slogan "Fabulously British" is written into most of the clothes tags and the designs are marketed as classically ‘British’ in style, inspired by traditional British heritage. Jack Wills clothing ranges from traditional British heritage formal wear, such as shirts, tweed jackets and blazers, to more contemporary fashion casual clothing: hooded tops, sweatpants, t-shirts and polo shirts. Less common products are also sold, such as rugby shirts and leather and canvas holdalls. Homeware goods, like mugs, bed linen, stationary, bags, purses, belts, USB drives and make-up can also be found in-store and online.
Jack Wills’ ranges are given a ‘public school’ and ‘preppy’ branding,[11] as the Jack Wills pricing strategy means the clothes may not be considered affordable to everyone. Jack Wills feature sports-oriented, collegiate branding, for example apparel relating to polo, rugby, and also rowing, such as the J.W.R.C (Jack Wills Rowing Club). Jack Wills' "University Outfitters" title reflects its target market: university students. However, the label is popular in both Secondary schools and colleges. Jack Wills does not use a conventional advertising model, instead relying on word of mouth viral marketing.[12] This is often stimulated by the events they hold such as the Jack Wills Varsity Polo, JW Unsigned and JW Seasonnaires. In April 2011 the ASA upheld complaints about the Jack Wills 2011 Spring Term Handbook. The handbook contained some controversial images of young adults in a state of undress. In their ruling, the ASA said that "we concluded that the catalogue was sufficiently provocative as to present a risk to younger teenagers."[13] A previous campaign in 2009 had also produced complaints but escaped a ban.
Aubin & Wills was launched by Jack Wills in September 2008. The label is aimed at a more mature customer than Jack Wills, namely age 25 and up, who have recently graduated from higher or tertiary education and are in full-time employment.
| “ | Our target market is 25-35 year old young successful individuals looking for individual effortlessly cool, exclusive clothing.[14] | ” |
There are currently 10 stores:[15]
There is also an online store offering mail order to customers who are unable to reach a retail store. Aubin & Wills offers both male and female ranges, as well as homeware.
On 20 May 2010, the Aubin Gallery[16] was launched, situated on the top floor of the Shoreditch store in collaboration with British artist and curator Stuart Semple. Under Semple's directorship the gallery's primary focus has been to provide a nurturing platform for a new generation of international artists and curators. It has also expanded to include off-site projects, for example with Miriam Elia's exhibition "I fell in love with a conceptual artist" at the Nave Church, international exhibition initiatives and a publishing arm. Since 2010 the gallery program has showcased the works of Tom Ormond, Piers Secunda, The Girls, Alana Lake, Alex Bunn, Sarah Maple, Adham Faramawy, James Howard, NERO and Yasam Sasmazer amongst others. The 7,500 sq ft (700 m2). concept space also includes The Aubin Cinema which is run in collaboration with the members' club Shoreditch House and is a new social hot spot in East London’s Redchurch Street.[17]
At the end of 2009, Jack Wills launched a new website, Jack Wills Outlet. The outlet store acts as a medium for a "limited number of the Jack Wills community" to purchase last seasons' clothes at a discounted price, normally the end-of-sale price or less, up to 75% off. Access to Jack Wills Outlet is strictly by invitation only; membership is obtained by submitting a regular Jack Wills account to the waiting list on the outlet website and waiting for an invitation. Membership is reviewed every three months and Jack Wills revokes access privileges to those who have not activated their membership or who have not made a purchase during that period. This is so that the "privilege of the JW Outlet is restricted to the most valued members of the Jack Wills community."[18]
Jack Wills Outlet has adopted a "no frills approach" and does not offer gift wrapping, fancy packaging or guaranteed delivery times. Returning items to the outlet store is by mail order only; goods cannot be returned to a Jack Wills retail store. The outlet store offers the same range of products as the regular site: Ladies, Gentlemen and Homeware are all accessible.
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