Joe Fresh hires U.S. operations officer to go global

Joe Fresh hires U.S. operations officer to go global

Joe Fresh, the apparel line owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd., is planning a global expansion. Creative director Joe Mimran has hired Mario Grauso as chief operating officer, a new position created to help establish the brand internationally.

“The company has gotten to a size where we really felt we needed a chief operating officer to help me continue to grow the business and take it to the next level,” Mimran said.

Grauso, who was most recently president of the Vera Wang Group, will report directly to Mimran beginning Oct. 7, and would be responsible for overseeing daily operations, new strategic partnerships and Joe Fresh’s global retail expansion.

In February, Grauso, who began his career as an intern at Ralph Lauren, stepped down as president of Vera Wang Group, where he was credited with growing the brand globally. Before that, he was president of Carolina Herrera Ltd., overseeing the Nina Ricci and Paco Rabanne fashion houses.

Mimran founded Club Monaco in 1984 and sold it to Ralph Lauren Polo Corporation in 2000.