The Nicola Jane Story
38 Years Of Caring
1984
Established in 1984 by our founders Peter and Nichola Lawrence's, Nicola Jane was born. Our mission, to restore confidence and femininity after breast surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis.
In the days before the internet it was really hard to find any bras or swimwear that was pocketed, there was hardly any choice at all. We both felt passionately that we could make a real difference and a much-needed service for people who had undergone breast surgery
Nichola, Founder
Nichola started to research what products were available and spent several months visiting lingerie and swimwear shows to find suppliers and worked with breast cancer charities. It was not easy, mastectomy products at this time involved seamstresses sewing pockets into standard bras which has not been specifically designed to hold a breast form. Often the bras did not offer enough support or coverage, or were uncomfortable and would rub on scars.
1989
1989
Pete and Nichola kept searching and managed to find a selection of suitable bras and swimwear that they felt would be right for their vision, including launching the Anita Care range to the UK market alongside styles from Royce lingerie and Triumph. The fantastic Anita Care brand is still featured in our current range. In 1989 the first mail order catalogue was launched and Pete and Nichola would despatch orders from their attic, Pete claims he used to take orders and give advice too!
1996
The response to the catalogue was tremendous and in 1996 we opened our first store in Chichester, West Sussex where our customers could see and try on the range for the first time. Nichola worked hard to build relationships with the breast care teams around the UK, who would pass on our catalogue to their patients.
VISIT THE STORE
VISIT THE STORE
2004
As the need for Nicola Jane grew and grew, so did our team and stores. We moved from Nichola and Pete’s home to a new premise in Chichester and in 2004 both Claire-Marie and Melissa joined the team who are now joint Directors of Nicola Jane. We also opened our award winning flagship store in London, proudly being the first store in London to specialise in post-surgery fashion offering the largest range of mastectomy bras, swimwear and breast forms. The shop offered a warm and safe space for ladies to try the products and be fitted by our certified fitting team.
2007
2007 was the first year we introduced one of our customers as a model in the mail order catalogue.
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2020
Our Head Office is still based in Chichester on the lovely south coast of England. Our amazing team is now 25 people strong, still small enough to keep the family feel and ethos but big enough to give our customers the first class service they have come to expect from Nicola Jane.
Over the years we have been lucky to win the Stars Awards, ECMOD Awards and Drapers Awards, being recognised in the industry as specialists in post-surgery fashion mastectomy, lumpectomy and reconstruction.
Over the years we have been lucky to win the Stars Awards, ECMOD Awards and Drapers Awards, being recognised in the industry as specialists in post-surgery fashion mastectomy, lumpectomy and reconstruction.
2021
In Early 2021, Nicola Jane entered an exciting new chapter when Pete retired after 37 years steering the ship. In February 2021, Nicola Jane was acquired by the Milbank Group. The day-to-day running of the business will remain with Claire-Marie and Melissa who, along with our great team, will continue to bring you the service and products you love.
“I am delighted that we have found a new owner who is committed to the long-term stability of Nicola Jane. I feel confident that The Milbank Group will continue to nurture the business, support the staff and care for the customer, all factors which have proved critical for our success over the past 37 years. It has been my honour to build Nicola Jane to what it is today, and I wish the future owners the very best in continuing and growing its legacy.”
Sean Milbank of the Milbank Group said, “Nicola Jane is a great business providing outstanding products with a caring and friendly service to their customers. Having such a beacon of customer focus within our Group can only help us further improve in an area that we already pride ourselves in. Nicola Jane falls firmly into the category of being different or diverse from the rest of the Group businesses, in terms of the sector that they operate in, which is part of our own growth strategy.”
2022“I am delighted that we have found a new owner who is committed to the long-term stability of Nicola Jane. I feel confident that The Milbank Group will continue to nurture the business, support the staff and care for the customer, all factors which have proved critical for our success over the past 37 years. It has been my honour to build Nicola Jane to what it is today, and I wish the future owners the very best in continuing and growing its legacy.”
Sean Milbank of the Milbank Group said, “Nicola Jane is a great business providing outstanding products with a caring and friendly service to their customers. Having such a beacon of customer focus within our Group can only help us further improve in an area that we already pride ourselves in. Nicola Jane falls firmly into the category of being different or diverse from the rest of the Group businesses, in terms of the sector that they operate in, which is part of our own growth strategy.”
The future is bright! You may have noticed that we have a new look. We decided it was time to freshen things up to more accurately reflect what Nicola Jane stands for - and that is our 100% dedication to caring for you. We are also working hard on our commitment to a more sustainable planet and as a small first step our 2022 swimwear range is manufactured using Repreve, a high performance, reclyced fabric made from materials reclaimed from the ocean. Watch this space for all the exciting things we have planned!
