Joe Fresh, the Canadian clothing retailer, has revealed international expansion plans that will see it expand outside North America for the first time.

Joe Fresh, which is owned by Canadian supermarket giant Loblaw, has signed three partnerships to allow it to expand into 24 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, South Korea and Europe.

The retailer has signed a franchise partnership with Fawaz Alhokair to bring Joe Fresh to 17 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, opening at least 98 stores by 2018 in those markets. The first shop will be in Saudi Arabia and be open by the summer.

Joe Fresh has also signed with UAE-based Retail Arabia International. Under the deal the retailer will open in six countries in the Middle East and have 15 stores by 2018, starting with the UAE later this year.

A final deal with South Korean business Origin & Co will allow Joe Fresh to open 30 stores in shopping malls and department stores in the next five years. One of the first units will open in the Lotte World Mall this spring and it will open a flagship in Seoul later this year.

Joe Fresh sells through 340 retail locations in Canada including in 16 standalone stores. It also has six standalone shops in New York and is sold through 650 JC Penney shops.

Joe Fresh Apparel Canada chief operating officer Mario Grauso said: “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.”

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