Joe Fresh expanding into 23 new countries

Canadian retailer Joe Fresh is gearing up for the international stage. Loblaw Companies Limited, which owns the fashion brand, announced today (February 20) that it has signed three separate partnership agreements that will see Joe Fresh expanding into 23 new countries.

Joe Fresh, which launched in Canada in 2006 and the U.S. in 2011, currently has 340 retail locations across Canada and six stores in New York. The brand is also carried at over 650 J.C. Penny department stores in the U.S. The expansion, however, will see Joe Fresh launch its women’s, men’s, and children’s apparel, footwear, and accessories collections and Joe Fresh Beauty cosmetics line in markets in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South Korea.

“These first international agreements signify an important milestone for Joe Fresh as we build on the strong foundation we've established at home in Canada,” Joe Mimran, founder and creative director of Joe Fresh, stated in a news release.

Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co., the largest franchise retailer in Saudi Arabia, has partnered to bring Joe Fresh to 17 countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Serbia, and Spain. The first store is scheduled to open in Saudi Arabia this year, and a minimum of 96 locations will be established by 2018.

Dubai’s Retail Arabia International has partnered to bring Joe Fresh to United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, with at least 15 stores scheduled by 2018. Meanwhile, Seoul’s Origin & Co., Ltd., will help open up to 30 Joe Fresh locations across South Korea in the next five years.

In April 2013, Joe Fresh made international headlines when a garment factory in Bangladesh that manufactures products for the company collapsed, killing over 1,000 workers. Later that year, Joe Fresh joined other international apparel brands in signing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, ensuring that no factory worker is in danger of fire, building collapses, or preventable accidents.