Joules, the UK-based premium lifestyle brand, has signed a three-year contract with SEKO Logistics to support its global expansion, deliver total visibility of its supply chain, and generate cost benefits through improved business performance.
Under the terms of the agreement, SEKO will manage Joules’ global supply chain from all of their sourcing locations in Asia and the Indian Sub-continent into their distribution centre in Corby in the UK and into the United States, including all customs and compliance requirements. SEKO is also responsible for managing the global supply of products to Joules’ other wholesale markets through its Bonded Logistics Park (BLP) in Shanghai. At its BLP in China, SEKO will receive deliveries from Joules’ suppliers and   pick and pack orders directly for Joules’ customers outside of the UK and U.S markets.  Joules’ merchandisers and buyers will be able to view real-time information of the company’s supply chain using MySEKO, a customized web-based transportation and logistics portal. It provides access to all of SEKO’s technology solutions, which enable customers to control distribution costs and automate dispatches as well as providing online solutions to manage vendors, access real-time shipment tracking, and print bills of lading and shipping labels, view account balances and run customized management reports – all from a single portal.           Working in partnership with SEKO will enable Joules’ executive team to focus on managing the company’s rapid retail, wholesale and e-commerce growth. In its last financial year, Joules’ revenues rose 14.2%, supported by a 12.8% rise in retail sales and a 17.3% increase in e-commerce sales. Joules’ wholesale sales also climbed 18.3% in a year that saw the company open a further 10 new stores and achieve a 33% growth in its active customer base to 824,000. David Emerson, SEKO Logistics’ Group Sales & Marketing Director, said: “Joules is a great brand for us to be working with and we are a strong fit. Our track record of working with multichannel retailers and ability to quickly implement our own software and shipping solutions means we’ve already identified savings and cost controls for Joules, such as offering a direct pick and pack solution in Shanghai for customers outside of the UK and U.S. We’re also looking at other areas of expansion and assistance, including cross border e-commerce delivery into key markets and customs warehousing in the UK. Over the next three years, we will play an important role in helping to facilitate Joules’ strategic growth in both its existing and new markets.”