Joe's Jeans Goes Global
Commerce, Calif.–based Joe’s jeans is launching an aggressive plan to expand its reach internationally with the launch of a new store in the United Arab Emirates and a second store opening in Kuwait in August.
The premium-denim label recently opened this month in Midrif City Centre, a destination megamall in northern Dubai with more than 400 stores. “All over the world, we’re trying to target the best cities for our international expansion,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Crossman. “Dubai is a world-premiere shopping destination with very sophisticated shoppers, and it has the right image for our brand, so from our perspective, it’s great.”
The store is one of at least seven new Joe’s jeans set to launch across the Middle East as part of an agreement with franchisee Multitrend International, a member of the Al-Homaizi Group. Other anticipated locations include Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Three years ago, Joe’s jeans opened in Paris with the intent of gaining a foothold in Europe. The success of those stores led to a showroom in Russia and openings in Italy and Germany.
Outside of Europe, the company plans to continue to use franchisees to open new stores internationally, according to Crossman. He says the company is actively looking into opening stores in China and Brazil, with Rio “top and center” as a prime location, followed by a second store in Sao Paulo.
“We’ll move as fast as we can, providing we find the right partners and right spaces,” he said.
The length of time from initial talks with Multitrend to “cutting the ribbon on the door” in Dubai took just over one year, according to Crossman.
The company’s global expansion is part of a larger vision for Joe’s jeans to cater to its international customers and expand into the Pacific Rim, South America, the Middle East and India.—Deidre Crawford
