Canadian retailer Joe Fresh, owned by supermarket colossus Loblaw, has unveiled its ambitious plans to expand during a time when many other chains are glumly managing their decline.
The expansion will be driven by the establishment of new strategic partnerships in the Middle East. Joe Fresh just signed an agreement with Fawaz Alhokair, which will usher the retailer into seventeen new countries across not only the Middle East but also North Africa and Europe. The plan is to open at least ninety-eight new stores by 2018, the first of which will be in Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, Joe Fresh contracted with Retail Arabia International, a UAE-based outfit. Under the terms of that deal, it will launch fifteen new stores in the Middle East by 2018.
Finally, Joe Fresh finalized a deal with Origin & Co., which will help it establish at least thirty new stores throughout South Korea, including Seoul.
Galen G. Weston, executive chairman of Loblaw, explained the plans as part of Joe Fresh’s global vision. “It’s representative of what has been a long standing belief on our part that there’s an international level of opportunity for the Joe Fresh brand,” he said.
Mario Grauso, chief operating officer of Joe Fresh Apparel Canada, added, “We are thrilled to be growing Joe Fresh internationally, following our expansion into the United States over the past two and a half years. 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 the respective geographies.”
Currently, Joe Fresh sells through 340 different locations in Canada, seven in the U.S. and in 650 J.C. Penney stores.