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Hy-Vee to sell clothing from Loblaw’s Joe Fresh

Midwestern grocer plans branded store-within-a-store departments

Russell Redman

July 29, 2019

2 Min Read
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Hy-Vee has begun carrying apparel and related products from Loblaw Cos.’ Joe Fresh fashion brand.

The Midwestern supermarket chain said it will offer the affordable fashion line — with items for women, men, children and babies — in a branded Joe Fresh “shop-in-shop” department at selected stores in seven markets in four states.

Product categories and offerings will vary by store, Hy-Vee said in announcing the partnership on Friday. Joe Fresh-branded items will include apparel, accessories, footwear and beauty.

Joe Fresh products will be sold at designated Hy-Vee stores in Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island, Neb.; and Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn.

Hy-Vee spokeswoman Christina Gayman said Joe Fresh apparel is now available at some Hy-Vee stores in West Des Moines and Urbandale, Iowa; Robbinsdale, Minn.; and Liberty and Kansas City, Mo. Overall, the grocer expects to have 18 Joe Fresh shops open by mid-September, she said.

The introduction of the Joe Fresh line at Hy-Vee stores marks “the first of its kind to Midwest shoppers,” according to the West Des Moines, Iowa-based retailer.

Joe_Fresh_store_display.png“Quality clothing, accessories, footwear and beauty will always serve as a top need for the American consumer, which is why we’ve made these solutions available to our shoppers,” Darren Baty, executive vice president of nonfoods at Hy-Vee, said in a statement. “Hy-Vee’s goal is to provide its customers the very best in all lifestyle categories in a convenient and easy-to-shop format.”

Related:Hy-Vee plans to open Smokey Row Coffee cafés

Hy-Vee noted that the launch of Joe Fresh products at its stores represents a shift in the grocery chain’s “clothing retailer of choice.” In 2017, Hy-Vee unveiled a partnership to carry products from F&F, an international fashion retailer with about 750 locations in Central Europe and Asia, in select stores.

“We focus on the evolving lifestyles of our customers, and we continuously look for ways to make our customers’ lives easier, healthier and happier,” Baty explained. “We transitioned our fashion retail partnership to Joe Fresh to offer larger product diversity with Midwestern styles that we believe will be appealing to the Hy-Vee shopper.”

Joe Fresh apparel, accessories and related products are designed to provide flexible fashion with contemporary styles at a smart value. Loblaw Cos., Canada’s largest food and drug retailer, approached fashion designer Joe Mimran, co-founder of the Club Monaco retail chain, to develop a clothing line for its stores in 2004. The first items launched at selected Loblaw Cos. supermarkets in 2006. Joe Fresh later had stores in the United States as well as retail distribution at J.C. Penney, but both operations ended in 2016.

Related:Hy-Vee dishes up second Wahlburgers for Wisconsin

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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