THE FIRST FLAGSHIP - The very first free-standing Joe Fresh Style® Flagship
store to open this October in Vancouver, B.C.

TORONTO, Oct 4 /CNW/ - To broaden the reach of the Joe Fresh Style® brand, the very first free-standing Joe Fresh Style® store will open on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver on October 13, 2010.

This exciting new store is the first of a new wave of locations in the heart of Canadian shopping districts appealing to the trend-setting, downtown customer. It is the next step for the rapidly growing apparel and cosmetics brand and a departure from the current 336 Joe Fresh Style® locations across Canada, all of which are located inside or adjacent to a Loblaw banner store.

"Vancouver is a location we'd been looking at for quite a while - it's a fresh, modern and youthful city, just like the Joe Fresh® brand," says Joseph Mimran of Joseph Mimran & Associates, Creative Director, Apparel, Home and Entertainment for Loblaw Companies Limited. "And when this prime location on one of the best shopping streets in Canada became available we had to snap it up."

When the Joe Fresh Style® collection launched in 2006 it was developed as a chic addition and a point of differentiation for Loblaw Companies Limited, the country's largest grocery retailer (banner stores include Real Canadian Superstore, Atlantic Superstore and Maxi & Cie in Quebec), but now there is also demand for downtown locations.

"We knew that for our first stand-alone location we wanted to create something visually striking that would draw in the urban shopper, many of whom may not have had the chance to visit our current retail locations or who have been travelling a distance to shop our collection," says Mimran. "This impressive new store will rival many of the international boutiques on Granville street in terms of design and product offering."

The beautiful 14,000 square-foot store was designed by leading Toronto commercial interior design firm Burdifilek.

THE STORE

In this flagship store, Burdifilek has created a classically modern white cube that punctuates the traditional surroundings on Granville Street. Huge windows fill the two levels which separate women's sportswear and accessories on the main floor from men's, women's active, women's sleep and intimates.

The design intent was to create a backdrop to truly showcase the collection. The clothes are the focal point and inject an ever-changing spectrum of colour into the environment. Fixtures and finishes are rendered in a unified palette of crisp whites, clear sandblasted acrylics and heavily textured natural oak atop a soft grey matte floor. Generous Parsons tables and a powder-coated white metal wall system artfully frame the collection. 

STORE OPENING EVENTS

To celebrate the opening of this Joe Fresh Style® store we will be closing down Granville Street between Pender and Dunsmuir for an exciting, free public concert on October 16, 2010 featuring some of Canada's hottest talent including performances by Marianas Trench, Divine Brown, Stereos and Sweet Thing.

The first 100 shoppers on October 13, 2010 will receive wrist-bands for guaranteed access to the concert.

Additional offers to mark the opening include a free packaway down jacket (a $39-$49 value) for the first 1000 customers who spend $100 or more*. A free Joe Fresh Style® reusable tote bag will also be offered to the first 1000 customers with any purchase.

In addition, a special coupon to save $10 on a spend of $50 or more** will be valid from October 16-23, 2010 through a new interactive advertising experience. Starting in September all Joe Fresh® fall advertising on transit shelters in the Vancouver area will feature a scanable QR-code which will take any internet-accessible, smart-phone user to a site to download the printable coupon.

The flagship store will open to the public on Wednesday October 13, 2010, and is located at 540 Granville St, Vancouver BC, V6C 1W6, telephone: [phone]. Visit www.joe.ca for complete store listings.

*Get a Free  Packaway Jacket, a retail of $39 for women's and $49 for men's when you spend $100 or more before applicable taxes on Joe Fresh Style® apparel only at  Joe Fresh Style®, 540 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1W6. Excludes purchase of sunglasses, jewelry, cosmetics, bath and beauty accessories.  The retail value of $39 for women or $49 for men for the Packaway Jacket will be deducted from the total amount of your purchase before sales taxes are applied.  Limit one coupon per family and/or customer account.  No cash value. No copies.  Coupon must be presented to the cashier at time of purchase.  Valid from Wednesday, October 13, 2010 until closing, Wednesday, October 20, 2010. Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotional offers.  No substitutions, refunds or exchanges on Free product.

**Save $10 when you spend a minimum of $50 before applicable taxes on Joe Fresh Style® apparel, excluding sunglasses, jewellery, cosmetics, bath and beauty accessories, only at Joe Fresh Style® 540 Granville St, Vancouver BC, V6C 1W6 or at any Real Canadian Superstore that sells Joe Fresh apparel. $10 will be deducted from the total purchase amount after sales taxes are applied. Limit one coupon per family and/or customer account. No cash value. Coupons must be presented to the cashier at time of purchase. Valid from Saturday, October 16 to Saturday, October 24, 2010. Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotional offers.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Offering Canadians stylish, fresh and affordable apparel and accessories for all seasons, the Joe Fresh Style^® brand is Loblaw Companies Limited's answer to Canadian consumers' desire for accessible, of-the-moment style. Creative Director, Joseph Mimran of Joseph Mimran & Associates, oversees a line that features more than 400 items, from chic footwear to the latest in outdoor fashions, enabling today's busy Canadian 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^TM, an inspired collection of stylish and well-priced beauty products, was launched in 2009.

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 Style^® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial^® services and offers the PC^® points loyalty program.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information:

Libby Shumka, Tara Parker Tait PR, 778.329.6190, [email protected]
Alison Lawler-Dean, PR Specialist, Joe Fresh Style & PC Home, Loblaw Companies Limited, 416.516.5233, ext 1424, [email protected]