THE JOE FRESH BRAND TAKES A BITE OUT OF THE BIG APPLE

The first international Joe Fresh flagship store to open in New York City

TORONTO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ - The Joe Fresh brand is proud to announce the opening of their first international flagship store in New York City slated to open in the fall of 2011. This new store represents an exciting evolution for the apparel, accessory and beauty brand which is currently only available in Canada.

"We get frequent requests from fans in the US who have heard about Joe Fresh clothing and cosmetics from their Canadian friends and family and they keep asking for us to open stores south of the border," says Joe Mimran, Creative Director of the Joe Fresh brand. "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."

The new flagship store will open at 510 Fifth Avenue, New York City, New York. The historic glass box on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 43^rd Street, near the New York Public Library and Bryant Park, will be respectfully remodelled to bring the Joe Fresh brand aesthetic to life with modern fixtures and a fresh white finish. Built in 1954 by Gordon Bunshaft as a five-story bank branch for Manufacturers Trust (later Manufacturers of Hanover, then Chase Manhattan), the glass, aluminum and steel building was the first transparent glass structure of its kind. "It was vital for us to find a unique location for our first US store," says Mimran. "This building is important to New York and important to us."

"This new location, on one of the most important shopping streets in the world, will introduce the Joe Fresh brand to a new audience of savvy shoppers," adds Lucy van der Wal, Senior Vice President, Joe Fresh Stand-Alone Stores. "We can't wait to see the reaction from those new to the brand when they first see our style, feel our fabrics, try on our garments and be amazed by the value."  

The Joe Fresh brand is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year in Canada. Launched in the spring of 2006 with chic and affordable apparel for men and women, the brand added a kids collection, intimates and sleep in 2007, followed by swimwear and sunglasses in 2008 and then jewellery, beauty and bath in 2009.

For more information on the Joe Fresh brand visit joefresh.com.

About the Joe Fresh brand and Loblaw Companies Limited

Offering Canadians stylish, fresh and affordable apparel and accessories for all seasons, the Joe Fresh brand is Loblaw Companies Limited's answer to consumers' desire for accessible, of-the-moment style. Joseph Mimran of Joseph Mimran & Associates, Creative Director Apparel, Home and Entertainment for Loblaw Companies Limited, oversees a line that features more than 400 items, from chic footwear to the latest in outdoor fashions, enabling today's busy consumer to shop for fashion right where she shops for food, health and home, and achieve a great look without breaking the bank. Joe Fresh Beauty, an inspired collection of stylish and well-priced beauty products, was launched in 2009. In 2010, Joe Fresh opened their first flagship store outside of a grocery store in an urban location in downtown Vancouver. Several more free-standing stores are planned for 2011.

Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ over 138,000 full-time and part-time employees. Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet the everyday household demands of Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control (private) label program, including the unique President's Choice^®, no name^® and Joe Fresh brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial^® services and offers the PC^® points loyalty program.

SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited - Joe Fresh Style and PC Home Division