TORONTO, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Loblaw
Companies Limited (TSX:L), owner of the Joe Fresh brand, today
announced the promotion of Mario
Grauso to President of Joe Fresh. He was previously Chief
Operating Officer of the brand.
Grauso continues to report to Joe
Mimran, president of Joseph
Mimran & Associates and creative director of Joe Fresh.
In his new role, Grauso oversees business strategy, operations,
marketing, international development, merchandising, sourcing and
design functions at Joe Fresh.
The promotion is part of a company-wide management
reorganization at Loblaw. As part of the changes, Executive
Chairman Galen Weston has assumed
the additional role of President of Loblaw, where he is now
responsible for execution of the company's overall strategy and
business performance. He takes on the role from Vicente Trius, who is exiting the company to
return to his native Brazil.
"Since joining Joe Fresh in September
2013, Mario Grauso has
managed the successful growth of Joe Fresh, in partnership with
Joe Mimran. Over the past ten
months, the brand has opened stores in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, with an extensive international
rollout plan in place. Joe Fresh continues to solidify its U.S.
presence and will launch e-commerce there next month. Mario is a
proven leader in the fashion industry and I look forward to his
continued guidance of Joe Fresh as it expands into a compelling
global presence in specialty retail," said Weston.
Since May, Joe Fresh and its partners have opened retail stores
in Seoul, South Korea; the Sahara
Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and
the Mall of Dhahran in Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia. A unit in the Mall of Arabia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to open
later this month. Joe Fresh partners are committed to opening over
140 stores in 23 countries over the next five years.
Prior to joining Joe Fresh, Grauso was president of Vera Wang
Group. Earlier in his career he was President of Puig Fashion, the
parent company of Carolina Herrera,
Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne.
About Joe Fresh
Founded in 2006, Joe Fresh is one of Canada's leading sources for modern style and
accessible design, offering comprehensive lifestyle collections for
men, women and children. Joe Fresh delivers quality and compelling
value in categories spanning apparel, accessories, footwear and Joe
Fresh Beauty® cosmetics. The brand's design vision is driven by
Joe Mimran of Joseph Mimran & Associates, Creative
Director of Joe Fresh, Home and Entertainment for Loblaw Companies
Limited. In Canada, Joe Fresh
products are available online and in more than 340 retail
locations, including 16 freestanding and studio stores. In
the United States, Joe Fresh
operates 6 freestanding stores in New
York, including a flagship in the landmark 510 Fifth Avenue
building, and is also available in over 650 J.C. Penney stores. For
more information, please visit joefresh.com.
About Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX:L)
Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, the
nation's largest retailer, and the majority unitholder of Choice
Properties Real Estate Investment Trust. Loblaw provides Canadians
with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general
merchandise, banking, and wireless mobile products and services.
With more than 2,300 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned
locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ
approximately 192,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one
of Canada's largest private sector
employers.
Loblaw's purpose - Live Life Well - puts first the needs and
well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually
in the Company's stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and
exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than
1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to
specialty; full-service pharmacies at more than 1,250 Shoppers Drug
Mart and Pharmaprix locations and more than 500 Loblaw locations;
no-fee banking with PC Financial; affordable Joe Fresh fashion and
family apparel; and three of Canada's top consumer brands in Life Brand®,
no name® and President's Choice®. Through the PC Plus™ and Shoppers
Optimum® loyalty programs, more than one in every three Canadians
are rewarded for shopping with the companies. For more information,
please visit loblaw.ca.
SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited