Joe Fresh

Last updated
Joe Fresh
Joe Fresh.png
Product typeApparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and cosmetics
Owner Loblaw Companies
CountryToronto, Canada
Introduced2006;17 years ago (2006)
Markets
  • Canada
  • United States
  • UAE
  • South Korea
  • Philippines
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Egypt
  • Morocco
  • Algeria
  • Macedonia
  • Montenegro
  • Croatia
  • Bosnia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Azerbaijan
  • Georgia
  • Belarus
  • Armenia
  • Serbia
  • Spain
TaglineFresh style. Fresh price.
Website www.joefresh.com

Joe Fresh is a Canadian fashion brand and retail chain created by designer Joe Mimran for Canadian food distributor Loblaw Companies Limited. It was formed in 2006. The label includes adult and children's wear, shoes, handbags, jewelry, beauty products, and bath items.

Contents

Joe Fresh entered the United States market, with permanent and pop-up stores, in New York City and the surrounding region, with an international flagship store located at 510 Fifth Avenue. In 2012, the brand also appeared in approximately 680 JCPenney stores throughout the United States.

The JCPenney agreement was dismantled in 2015, with the companies making the decision not to renew their existing distribution agreement, which expired on January 30, 2016. [1] The Fifth Avenue store closed in 2015.

History

Inside a Joe Fresh store. JoeFresh.jpg
Inside a Joe Fresh store.

Concept

In 2004, Loblaw approached Joe Mimran, co-founder of the Club Monaco retail chain and the name behind the Alfred Sung brand, to collaborate on a new fashion line. Mimran, who had previously worked with Loblaw on its President's Choice Home Collection, was tasked with creating a clothing line for adults, a market segment the company had not explored before.

"We had no idea what the consumer would want from a food store; we had no idea whether the prices would resonate, whether they wanted casual dress versus something dressier. Everything that was done at that time, we did it really without very much research. We just said let's build a line, let's design the stores, the marketing, the [rounded dollar] price points. We went with bright colors and tasty colors because it was a food store, and all of these things were all done intuitively, and it worked. [2] "

Mimran emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of product design while offering an reasonable price point. Additionally, practical considerations played a role, as the clothing line needed to withstand the wear and tear of shopping carts and the flow of supermarket traffic. [3]

Launch

In March 2006, the fashion brand, named Joe Fresh Style, debuted at 40 Real Canadian Superstore and Atlantic Superstore locations. [4] [5] News reports described the launch as "a big gamble" [6] for both the food retailer and designer. The branding represented for the first time Mimran's name appearing on one of his labels. "Now, Mr. Mimran is finally being thrust into the public spotlight, becoming a brand in his own right." The use of "Joe", according to Mimran, was a deliberate decision that gave the private label "instant credibility." [7] Meanwhile, "Fresh" not only drew an association with the supermarkets where the clothes would be sold but also the line's simple design. [6]

One retail analyst expressed the view that consumers would be more likely to buy based on the line's style and in-store retail convenience rather than price point.[ citation needed ]

Sales

Seven months after the brand's launch, Loblaw reported that sales had exceeded the company's own projections: "Every one of our sales objectives that we have set, we have surpassed," noted Louise Drouin, senior vice president of general merchandise.[ citation needed ] Mimran also expressed his personal satisfaction with the brand's acceptance among consumers. "I've been involved with many projects over the years, and I can tell you the response to this has been overwhelming." But retail consultant, Dalan Bronson of the J.C. Williams Group, was more cautious, contending that the jury was still out on the brand's long-term prospects, given the fickle nature of the fashion trade. [8]

Product line

In 2007, Loblaw began expanding the line to include sleepwear, lingerie, and children's wear, "and quickly became the top seller of kid's clothing in the country." [9] Swimwear and sunglasses were added in 2008, and in 2009 Joe Fresh Beauty debuted with an array of reasonably priced cosmetics at $8 or less. By then, the brand had become the second-biggest-selling clothing label in the country, according to market research. [10] A Maclean's magazine article noted Joe's appeal amongst a wide range of consumers:

Since its inception, Joe Fresh has been a smash hit with suburban soccer moms. But experts have been a little surprised by how many young urbanites, regulars at Holt Renfrew and other high-priced boutiques, are willing to snap up $29 cable-knit sweaters and $49 skirts without the slightest hint of shame. Many, in fact, openly boast to friends about their great finds. [10]

Within its first year and a half, Joe Fresh had chalked up $400 million in retail sales. [11]

Expansion

In 2010, Joe Fresh moved beyond the supermarket aisle with the opening of its first stand-alone store, located in downtown Vancouver. Months later, Loblaw announced its intent to open 20 dedicated outlets across Canada, 6 to be completed by year's end. Although media reports speculated that the brand would remain strictly a Canadian phenomenon, in 2011, Loblaw announced its most ambitious plans yet for Joe Fresh –four retail outlets slated for metropolitan New York City with "an international flagship store" on Fifth Avenue. Mimran declared it the right move at the right time. "We felt it was time to make the first step into the international market with a store in the American fashion capital, and one of the most exciting cities in the world, New York." [12] But in confirming the brand's entry into the American market, Loblaw president Allan Leighton pointed out that it was "very much a pilot project." [9] One retail analyst, Kaileen Millard-Ruff of market researcher Synovate Canada, referred to the opportunities and pitfalls faced by Canadian retailers who head south of the border in hopes of staking a claim:

"Joe Fresh definitely has an opportunity there, and the U.S. is looking for more cheap chic," she said. "And the designs don't look cheap, they look more sophisticated. It all comes down to whether Loblaw will put in the cash to do it properly, because in New York you have to look like a big thing to be a big thing... that's everything on execution from the space, to product, to fixtures, to lighting. Fifth Avenue is not the cheapest real estate around." [9]

But while Loblaw management was cautious in tone regarding Joe's entry into the American market, Mimran spoke ambitiously, envisioning as many as 800 stores across the U.S. in five years, with the possibility of taking the label beyond North America, into Europe and Asia. He noted that Joe Fresh already competes successfully with international brands at home in Canada. "Today, if you have a proposition that resonates, it can work across cultures and borders." [13] Mimran also expressed the view that considering the enormous sales volume of the brand in Canada, to not attempt an entry into the United States market and beyond would be a matter of "short-changing ourselves." [2]

New York

In July 2011, New Yorkers were given a sneak preview of Joe Fresh fashion with the opening of a 600-square-foot pop-up summer store, replete with a wall display of brightly colored flip-flops, at the Long Island resort of East Hampton Village. [14] New York City's first glimpse of Joe followed in the fall with the October opening of a temporary "holiday store" on Madison Avenue. [15] But it was with the unveiling of stores at Bridgewater and Garden City, that Joe began ringing in sales at its first permanent U.S. outlets. New York City's first permanent Joe Fresh store, located in Manhattan's Flatiron District, opened in November 2011. Mimran, present for the grand opening of a new Joe Fresh boutique at 110 Fifth Avenue, acknowledged the crowded nature of the New York's low-price high fashion market, but contended there's always a place for a new player with integrity:

The fashion industry allows newcomers. This is not an exclusionary industry. I think if you get beat it's not because of the competition, it's because you are not good enough. Women do love to shop around, and they like to have a handful of brands that they like to frequent. It's not about one single brand. This is not the computer business, it's the fashion game. There isn't one department store, there isn't one specialty store. And what we've shown, especially in Canada, is we can play with international competition. So why can't we do it here? [16]

Joe's new international flagship headquarters, located on Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, opened in the spring of 2012. The New York ad campaign featured the slogan, "Irresistible fashion for Everyone. Affordable fashion for Anyone." [17]

In July 2012, it was announced that Joe Fresh and JCPenney were teaming up to open close to 700 Joe stores in the retailer's outlets throughout the United States. Mimran described the move as "akin to a roll-out but done very quickly" and noted that it would give Joe Fresh national exposure. [18] March 2013 saw the launch of 681 Joe Fresh stores throughout JCPenney locations. [19] The brand also became available online, featured on the JCPenney website.

Issues

On 24 April 2013, an eight-story commercial building called Rana Plaza collapsed in Savar, a sub-district near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. At least 1,127 people died and over 2,438 were injured. [20] The building housed a number of separate garment factories employing around 5,000 people, several shops, a bank, [21] and manufactured apparel for brands including the Benetton Group, Joe Fresh, [22] The Children's Place, Primark, Monsoon, and DressBarn. [23] [24] The parent company of Joe Fresh, Loblaws, offered compensation to the victims of three months' pay, totalling about $150 plus undisclosed long-term compensation. [25] [26] It has established a $3 million trust to compensate victims of the accident. Joe Fresh continues to manufacture its garments in Bangladesh, with one source stating that as of 2014 it has doubled production in the country. In 2014, Loblaws finally hired an employee to oversee its Bangladeshi operations and monitor working conditions. [27] In 2015, a class action lawsuit asking for $1.85 billion in damages was filed against Loblaws alleging Loblaws was aware of the poor safety standards of Rana Plaza. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&M</span> Swedish multinational clothing retail company

Hennes & Mauritz AB or H&M Group is a multinational clothing company based in Sweden that focuses on fast-fashion clothing. As of 23 June 2022, H&M Group operated in 75 geographical markets with 4,801 stores under the various company brands, with 107,375 full-time equivalent positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loblaw Companies</span> Canadian retail company

Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners, as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private label program that includes grocery and household items, clothing, baby products, pharmaceuticals, cellular phones, general merchandise and financial services. Loblaw is the largest Canadian food retailer, and its brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh. It is controlled by George Weston Limited, a holding company controlled by the Weston family; Galen G. Weston, is the chair of the Loblaw board of directors, as well as chair of the board of directors and CEO of Canada-based holding company George Weston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JCPenney</span> American department store chain

Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is an American department store chain that operates 664 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Men's, Women's, Boys', Girls', Baby, Bedding, Home, Fine Jewelry, Shoes, Lingerie, JCPenney Salon, JCPenney Beauty, as well as leased departments such as Seattle's Best Coffee, US Vision optical centers, and Lifetouch portrait studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inditex</span> Spanish multinational clothing company

Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's flagship store is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands such as Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Uterqüe and Lefties. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zara (retailer)</span> Spanish multinational clothing store chain owned by Inditex Group

ZARA is a Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain. It specializes in fast fashion, and sells clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products and perfumes. The head office is in Arteixo, in A Coruña in Galicia. It is the largest constituent company of the Inditex group. In 2020 it was launching over twenty new product lines per year.

Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of supermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to Superstore, or, less commonly, RCSS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big-box store</span> Physically large retail establishment

A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The term "big-box" references the typical appearance of buildings occupied by such stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchan</span> French multinational retail company

Auchan is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% stake in the company, it is the 35th largest employer in the world.

Alfred Sung is a Canadian fashion designer and businessman. He is well known for producing apparel, fragrance, accessories and home fashions for women and men. He was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong. Sung is the brother of late Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum. He is also a founder of Club Monaco, a mid-priced, high-end casual clothing retailer.

No Frills is a Canadian chain of discount supermarkets, owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited. There are over 200 franchise stores located in nine Canadian provinces.

Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984, it is currently operated by Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group, with about 540 outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FreshCo</span> Canadian discount supermarket chain owned by Empire Company Limited

FreshCo Ltd. is a Canadian chain of deep discount supermarkets owned by Sobeys. It was launched in March 2010. As of September 2023, there were 100 FreshCo stores.

Plus-size clothing is clothing proportioned specifically for people above the average clothing size. The application of the term varies from country to country, and according to which industry the person is involved in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast fashion</span> Quick retail copying of catwalk trends

Fast fashion is the business model of replicating recent catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail stores quickly while demand is at its highest. The term fast fashion is also used generically to describe the products of the fast fashion business model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mango (retailer)</span> Spanish clothing company

Punto Fa, S.L., trading as Mango, is a Spanish clothing design and manufacturing company, founded in Barcelona, Spain, by brothers Isak Andic and Nahman Andic. It designs, manufactures and markets women's and men's clothing and accessories.

Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is a Carlisle-based retailer specialising in clothing, along with interests in homewares and destination shopping for tourists. It was previously owned by the Dubai-based British billionaire Philip Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buyer (fashion)</span> Individual who selects what items are stocked

In the retail industry, a buyer is an individual who selects what items are stocked and their key responsibility is dealing with all the products that come into the store. Buyers usually work closely with designers and their designated sales representatives and attend trade fairs, wholesale showrooms and fashion shows to observe trends. They are employed by large department stores, chain stores or smaller boutiques. For smaller independent stores, a buyer may participate in sales as well as promotion, whereas in a major fashion store there may be different levels of seniority such as trainee buyers, assistant buyers, senior buyers and buying managers, and buying directors. Decisions about what to stock can greatly affect fashion businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonmarché</span> Clothing retailer based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Bonmarché is a clothing retailer based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The business was founded in 1982, and was acquired by the Peacock Group in July 2002.

Joseph Mimran is a Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur, best known for founding the Club Monaco and Joe Fresh brands. He was also an investor on the Dragons' Den television series.

Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry, embellishment using embroidery, via the fashion industry to apparel retailers up to trade with second-hand clothes and textile recycling. The producing sectors build upon a wealth of clothing technology some of which, like the loom, the cotton gin, and the sewing machine heralded industrialization not only of the previous textile manufacturing practices. Clothing industries are also known as allied industries, fashion industries, garment industries, or soft goods industries.

References

  1. ↑ Chapin, Adele (2015-05-07). "JCPenney Does Away With Joe Fresh". Racked. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  2. 1 2 "C Suite: Joe Mimran's Fresh Strategy". National Post . June 21, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Better by Design: Loblaw's Joe Fresh". Strategy. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ Press release (March 2006). "Loblaw Companies Limited news release".
  5. ↑ "Loblaw launches new fashion line". CBC News. Mar 13, 2006. Retrieved Sep 6, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Loblaw's Apparel Guru No Average Joe". The Globe and Mail . March 13, 2006.
  7. ↑ Morassutti, William (October 28, 2008). "Talking to: Joseph Mimran". Toro . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  8. ↑ Leung, Calvin (June 19, 2006). "Meet Joe Fresh". Canadian Business . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 Shaw, Hollie (February 23, 2011). "Joe Fresh Follows Tough Path into Cutthroat NYC Market". Financial Post Business .
  10. 1 2 Intini, John (January 25, 2010). "Joe's Fresh Take – How Loblaws Became the New King of Canadian Fashion". Maclean's . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ Flavelle, Dana. "Loblaw's Fresh Approach". Toronto Star .
  12. ↑ "The Joe Fresh Brand Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple". Loblaw Companies Limited (news release February 23, 2011). Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  13. ↑ Marina, Strauss (February 23, 2011). "Joe Fresh's Global Expansion Plan". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  14. ↑ Maier, Kate. "Joe Fresh Tests U.S. Market with a Cheap and Preppy East Hampton Pop-Up". The Feast. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  15. ↑ Marina, Strauss (October 10, 2011). "Loblaw's Joe Fresh Enters Cutthroat U.S. Market". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  16. ↑ Blay, Zandile (November 9, 2011). "Joe Mimran of Joe Fresh Gambles on NYC". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Joe Fresh New York". Twitter . Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  18. ↑ Strauss, Marina (July 25, 2012). "Loblaw's Joe Fresh hooks up with J.C. Penney". Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Joe Fresh launches at J.C. Penney". World Mastercard Fashion Week. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  20. ↑ Ahmed, Saeed; Lakhani, Leone (14 June 2013), "Bangladesh building collapse: An end to recovery efforts, a promise of a new start", CNN, retrieved 16 December 2013
  21. ↑ Zain Al-Mahmood, Syed (24 April 2013). "Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 76 garment workers". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  22. ↑ 'Extreme Pricing' At What Cost? Retailer Joe Fresh Sends Reps To Bangladesh As Death Toll Rises - Forbes
  23. ↑ Nelson, Dean (24 April 2013). "Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 82 in Dhaka". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  24. ↑ Alam, Julhas (24 April 2013). "At least 87 dead in Bangladesh building collapse". USA Today . Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  25. ↑ O'Connor, Clare. "'Extreme Pricing' At What Cost? Retailer Joe Fresh Sends Reps To Bangladesh As Death Toll Rises - Forbes".
  26. ↑ Shaw, Hollie (2013-10-24). "Loblaw renews commitment to compensate Bangladesh factory collapse victims | Financial Post". Financial Post.
  27. ↑ "Joe Fresh continuing garment business in Bangladesh in year after tragedy | CBC News".
  28. ↑ "Loblaws Facing Class-Action Lawsuit over Bangladesh Factory Collapse". 2015-04-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.