Joe Fresh Launches Massive International Expansion, opening over 140 stores in 23 Countries

Inexpensive Canadian clothing brand Joe Fresh will open over 140 stores in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and South Korea. It will do so through three partnership agreements that will see Joe Fresh stores open in 23 countries. This is the company’s first store expansion outside of North America.

These new Joe Fresh store locations will offer comprehensive collections of men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, in addition to Joe Fresh Beauty cosmetics.

Joe Fresh has more than 340 retail locations across Canada. It boasts six freestanding stores in New York City including a flagship location on Fifth Avenue. It also has over 650 shop-in-store locations within J.C. Penney stores across the United States. It was founded in 2006 by Joe Mimran, who continues to be Creative Director of Joe Fresh. 

We think Joe Fresh is doing it right: it’s partnering with local companies familiar with their respective retail markets. Mario Grauso, chief operating officer of Joe Fresh Apparel Canada, an affiliate of Loblaw, said the following about the partnership: “In order to best tap these vibrant new markets, we have partnered with companies possessing deep local knowledge and wide expertise of the retail dynamics and consumer preferences in their respective geographies. Together, we are committed to bringing the Joe Fresh formula of sophisticated style and compelling value to a broad overseas audience. International markets are an important avenue of growth for Joe Fresh, combined with our own retail stores, in-store shops and burgeoning Canada e-commerce business.”

Below is a summary of Joe Fresh’s international business partners and related store details: 

Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co., based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the partner for the Joe Fresh expansion into 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Serbia and Spain. The company plans to open at least 96 stores by 2018 in those markets, including 40 in Saudi Arabia alone. The first stores are scheduled to open in the summer of 2014 in Saudi Arabia.

Retail Arabia International, based in Dubai, is the partner for five countries in the Middle East including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The company plans to open at least 15 stores by 2018 including nine in the United Arab Emirates. The first stores are scheduled to open in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Origin & Co., Ltd., based on Seoul, South Korea, is the partner for South Korea. The company plans to open up to 30 Joe Fresh retail locations in high-traffic shopping districts, malls and department stores over the next five years. One of the first locations will open in the Lotte World Mall this spring. The company plans to open a flagship store in Seoul later this year.

Source: Press release

[Joe Fresh website]