All Boden articles
British catalogue and online retailer Boden sells smart-casual, bright, patterned clothing for men, women and children. Boden also has one physical store and numerous concessions in John Lewis department stores. The company was founded in 1991 by Johnnie Boden, initially launched with eight menswear products. Womenswear was introduced in 1992 and childrenswear range Mini Boden was introduced in 1996. The UK website was launched in April 1999. The retailer now runs dedicated websites in the UK, USA, Germany and Australia. Boden has further forged its multichannel partnerships with Nordstrom in the US, and sells on Next, Zalando and Tmall.
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News
Gymshark and Boden founders recognised in new year honours
Gymshark founder and chief executive Ben Francis has been awarded an MBE for services to business in the 2023 new year honours list.
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Be Inspired
M&S, Kingfisher and Lidl back major retail I&D programme
Fifteen major retailers and brands have joined forces with Be Inspired, Retail Week’s six-year-old diversity initiative to promote inclusivity across the industry in 2022 and beyond.
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Retail Navigator People
Marcus Liberman
Head of IT and programme lead - dynamics implementation for procurement logistics and service at Boden
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (Overview)
Boden is an upmarket catalogue and online retailer of smart-casual clothing for women and children. The concept is based on selling an aspirational British middle-class lifestyle, but menswear was axed in 2023 as part of a brand reset.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (Financials)
Boden saw its sales falter in a “transitional year” where its profits tumbled. Total group revenues declined 1.9% to £350.7m in the 52-week ending 31 December 2022 (FY2022).
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (SWOT)
Founder and creative director Johnnie Boden has vowed to get the business back on track from late 2023 after admitting to a “catalogue of mistakes”. It is pulling out of menswear, refocusing its women’s offer around its core customer base, and ramping up catalogue distribution once again.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (Strategy)
Founder and creative director Johnnie Boden has vowed to get the business back on track from late 2023 after admitting to a “catalogue of mistakes”. It is pulling out of menswear, refocusing its women’s offer around its core customer base, and ramping up catalogue distribution again.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (People)
Chief executive Jill Easterbrook left the business after three years at the helm in January 2020, raising questions about Boden’s multichannel strategy which she had been appointed to develop. Boden has not replaced Easterbrook, instead sharing her duties between executive chair (now deputy chair) Julian Granville, finance boss Paul O’Leary, who has been promoted to chief operating officer, and the rest of the management team.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Ecommerce at Boden
Having been founded as a mail order business, the journey into online retailing was a natural one for Boden.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Supply chain at Boden
Boden increased its closer to home sourcing in 2019, enabling it to react more quickly to customer trends, and also launched a number of improvements to the sustainability of the supply chain.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Customer and marketing at Boden
An aspirational lifestyle brand, Boden has become synonymous with middle-class England. The product offer and marketing activities make a huge play of the company’s nostalgic Britishness and this has been a big factor in the success of the brand overseas – particularly in the US.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Technology strategy at Boden
Boden had been investing in enhanced digital capabilities and improving its core IT infrastructure through the implementation of a new ERP system from Microsoft Dynamics 365. Yet as profits came under pressure in FY2022, the retailer paused the implementation of its new ERP systems, writing off the cost of the project at £5.4m.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
Boden (Outlook)
The appointment of former Urban Outfitters’ CEO Glen T Senk as executive chairman in 2021 was billed by the retailer as “a significant development for Boden”, reflecting “the aspirations of the directors to accelerate growth”.
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News
Leading retailers pledge to take action on diversity and inclusion in 2021
Following a year where business’ D&I agendas have come under scrutiny, 16 brands including M&S, New Look and Sainsbury’s Argos have partnered with Retail Week’s Be Inspired programme to promote diversity and empower their teams.
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News
Boden profits fall amid major investments in online and fulfillment
Boden reported a drop in profits for 2019, as it invested more in its online offerings and fulfilment capabilities, with a particular focus on the US.
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Analysis
Analysis: The biggest hires and fires of 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, Retail Week takes a look back at all the hires and fires that have made shockwaves in the retail sector this year.
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News
JLP extends click-and-collect network to third parties
John Lewis Partnership has expanded its click-and-collect distribution network to third party retailers, starting with a trial collaboration with Boden.
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News
Boden boss Jill Easterbrook to step down at year-end as profits rise
Boden chief executive Jill Easterbrook will step down at the end of the year as the retailer warns that current trading has been hit by “ongoing consumer uncertainty”.