 Next PLC LSE:NXT has won the battle to buy country fashion retailer Joules, which recently went into administration and put around 1,600 jobs at risk. The FTSE 100 retail giant, which recently also agreed to buy Made.com last month, has teamed up with Tom Joule, the founder of the business, to secure the deal and beat off rival bidders including South Africas Foschini Group which owns Phase Eight, according to Sky News. 