The business

Jack Wills is a premium fashion retailer of preppy, classic casualwear appealing to the 16 to 24 year old age demographic. Established in 1999 in Salcombe, by the time Inflexion invested in the business Jack Wills had opened 21 stores in the UK as well as a hugely successful catalogue, “The Hand Book” and online retail model, “Jack’s Place”.

Management has been very successful in growing revenues and profits extremely rapidly and at market leading growth rates, whilst maintaining high margins. Future plans include the further roll out of stores in the UK as well as establishing a presence in key international markets. Jack Wills represented an opportunity to invest into a fast-growing, well-established and well-run niche retailer. Following our investment, we have introduced management to a number of successful retail entrepreneurs who can contribute significantly to its supply chain as well as Jack Wills’ development as a leading brand.

The investment

Once exclusivity had been granted, we took just two weeks to complete the transaction, acquiring a significant minority stake in the business. Simon Turner and Amanda Luckett led the process on behalf of Inflexion and Simon and Alistair Hamilton have joined the Board of Directors.