NEXT backs womenswear brand Cerene, co-founded by ex-AllSaints COO
NEXT is backing a new womenswear brand called Cerene, founded by Catherine Scorey Jobling, who formerly held the role of Chief Operations Officer at AllSaints.
The new venture pairs Jobling, who held the position of COO at AllSaints for seven years, and previously served as Womenswear Director at Ted Baker for 12 years, with one the UK's largest retail groups.
In a post on Instagram the company also introduced Rebecca Nye, the brand's Creative Director and Co-Founder and former Design Director at AllSaints, where she worked with Jobling. The two also worked together at Ted Baker.
Public filings at Companies House show that Cerene was incorporated on 8 December 2025 with a correspondence address at Desford Road, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 4AT – the same location as NEXT's head office.
Two of the companies named directors, Jonathan Neil Blanchard and Jeremy Paul Stakol, hold leadership positions at NEXT. Blanchard is the retail giant's Chief Financial Officer, while Stakol serves as its Group Investments Director, covering M&A and venture management.
Their presence on Cerene's board, combined with the shared registered address, shows a clear link between the new brand and the retail group, although it is unclear exactly what the nature of NEXT's financial backing looks like.
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On Instagram the brand has teased Autumn 2026 as its launch date, with Jobling, alongside Nye giving a little introduction of the brand in one of its latest posts.
Jobling explained that Cerene started "out of a desire to create a brand that was more reflective of who we are as individuals."
She added that she would describe the brand as "fiercely feminine" with the colour green forming a key component of the brand's identity.
Other than this there is little detail currently available that points towards the brand's product range, price positioning or route to market.
It is also unclear at the time of writing whether the brand will trade through NEXT's own platform, or independently.
This marks the latest strategic investment into a fashion brand for NEXT. Over the last few years the retail group has acquired a number of high-street names, such as FatFace, Joules, Cath Kidston and Seraphine, where the focus is often on brand and intellectual property rather than physical stores.
