JEDDAH – Loblaw, owner of the Joe Fresh brand, in partnership with Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co., has announced the opening of the first three Joe Fresh stores in Saudi Arabia.



The first 4,800sq ft store in Mall of Dhahran opened on July 2, 2014, followed by the 4,500sq ft  in the Sahara Mall which opened on July 11 and 5,200sq ft store which opened in Mall of Arabia in Jeddah on July 20, 2014. A 9,300sq ft store is slated to follow in the Al Nakheel Mall in Riyadh.



“We are excited to open our first stores in the Middle East, a dynamic new retail market for Joe Fresh. This signifies an important milestone for the brand as we continue to expand overseas and build on the strong foundation we have built in Canada and the United States,” said Joe Mimran, creative director of Joe Fresh.



The Middle East stores are designed to mirror existing Joe Fresh stores in Canada and the United States. Minimalist white walls and poured concrete floors create a clean and modern shopping environment that spotlights the colorful and contemporary designs of Joe Fresh.



In the fall, Alhokair will open two Joe Fresh stores in Festival City and the Mall of Arabia, both located in Cairo, Egypt.

“We look forward to building the Joe Fresh business with Alhokair, a global franchise company that possesses deep local knowledge within the Middle East, and wide expertise in retail. Together, we are committed to bringing the Joe Fresh formula of smart style and compelling value to a broad audience,” said Mario Grauso, chief operating officer of Joe Fresh Apparel Canada, an affiliate of Loblaw.



Joe Fresh and Alhokair announced a partnership in February that will bring the brand to 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Under terms of the agreement, the company plans to open at least 96 stores by 2018 in these markets, including 40 stores within Saudi Arabia alone.



Simon Marshall, chief executive officer of Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co., said: “We welcome the opportunity to partner with Joe Fresh and to bring its unique design sensibility and exciting retail format to our customers.” — SG