Jeanswest (formerly stylised JeansWest) is an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n apparel

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many p ...

, owned by Hong Kong company Harbour Guidance Pty Ltd. It operates in the market of casual wear and lifestyle, with

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...

playing an integral part in the product range. Its main rivals are

Just Jeans The Just Group, also known as Apparel Brands, comprises five fashion retail brands: Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Jacqui E, Portmans and Dotti. The group is owned by Myer. History 1970–1990: Founding and growth Just Jeans was founded by the Kim ...

and

Jay Jays Jay Jays is an Australian apparel chain store. It is owned and operated by the Just Group. Jay Jays focuses on clothing for younger people. At present, the chain has over 200 stores located in Australia and New Zealand. History Prior to being ...

which stock a similar range of clothing and denim. In March 2025, it was announced that the company would be going into

voluntary administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...

, and closing all of its 90 stores, however would maintain an online presence.

History

Jeanswest opened its first store headed by Alister Norwood in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

in 1972. By 1984, there were 28 stores across

. In 1985, Jeanswest branched into Queensland, buying the ''Eagle Jeans'' chain of stores, followed by

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1987 and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

in 1992. In 1990 Mr. Norwood relinquished control of JeansWest to Peter Volk and ''Glorious Sun Group'' and the company's headquarters moved from Perth to Melbourne. Jeanswest entered

in Australia , leaving the future of its 146 Australian stores and the employment of its almost-1000 strong staff in doubt. It was announced on 25 February 2020 that the chain would be bought by Hong Kong based Harbour Guidance Pty Ltd, in a deal that will save 106 of the affected Australian stores, meaning 40 stores will remain closed and their 308 staff members offered redundancies. On 25 March 2025,

administrators Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

from Pitcher Partners announced that the brand and its 90-plus stores in Australia would

close Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...

, with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Jeanswest's New Zealand stores were not affected. Later, the online store shut down and was reduced to a banner to a store locator whilst running out on stock and inventory, citing "overwhelming demand". In June, when all stores closed down, it was replaced by a banner thanking customers for support and saying to listen for updates.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.jeanswest.com.au/en-au/ Clothing retailers of Australia Retail companies established in 1972 1972 establishments in Australia Companies based in Perth, Western Australia Jeans by brand

History

References

Further reading

External links