Peter Williams founded "Fabulously British" lifestyle brand Jack Wills in 1999 opening the first shop in Salcombe, Devon 15 years ago. Having just left university, he spotted a gap in the market for a brand that redefined British tradition and mixed youthful arrogance with unique sex appeal. Williams turned his fascination of the power of brands into an innovative, dynamic fashion business with a clearly defined point of view.
Williams is passionate about projecting his brand to the respective target audiences via social media, and is considered to be at the leading edge of multichannel and viral marketing. Jack Wills has built the brand in the UK, the US, Hong Kong and the Middle East through viral, guerrilla and social media marketing, creating a cult following amongst fans with nearly 1 million Facebook and Twitter followers.
Still the majority shareholder, Williams stood down as CEO in October 2013, successfully transitioning the business, which focuses on womenswear, menswear and homewares, from a Founder led to a professional Manager led business. The brand has gone from strength to strength and now has 80 stores worldwide: 60 stores in the UK and Ireland, 13 stores in the US, 4 in the Middle East and 3 in Hong Kong.
