Mango opens in Buenos Aires, marking its return to Argentina

Madrid – After a 23-year absence, Mango is once again present in Argentina. This week, the Spanish fashion multinational finally opened the doors to its first new store in the country. The flagship store is located in the capital, Buenos Aires, and will sell fashion from the chain's two main business lines, its Woman and Man collections, from a single space.

This confirms the information reported by FashionUnited at the end of last March, as part of the agreement reached between Mango and the local group Grimoldi. On Thursday, October 1, the official opening of Mango's first new store in Argentina was announced. The store has already opened its doors in the Alto Palermo shopping centre in Buenos Aires. This commercial and leisure space is located in the Palermo neighbourhood, northwest of the city's urban centre. It is home to major retail operators such as Adidas; Nike; Pandora; Birkenstock; CH Carolina Herrera; Puma; Lacoste; Victoria’s Secret and Zara. The Grimoldi group is already familiar with this commercial offering, having operated its own footwear brand in the same complex. Mango has now joined this line-up.

Located on the ground floor of the Alto Palermo shopping centre in Buenos Aires, Mango's first new store in Argentina has a retail area of approximately 600 square metres on a single floor. The space has been designed according to the chain's current Mediterranean-inspired “New Med” store concept. This concept aims to create environments within its points-of-sale that evoke the feeling and aesthetic of a traditional Mediterranean home. Within this atmosphere, the store will offer fashion for both women and men from Mango's Woman and Man lines. However, the products will be sold under the MNG brand name, not Mango. This acronym refers to the Spanish fashion multinational's full trading name. Mango uses this branding in markets where its main trademark was previously registered or where its use could cause conflict or confusion.

Return to Argentina after 23 years with Grimoldi group

As previously reported at the beginning of the year, Mango's return to Argentina, beginning with this first new store opening, is part of a strategic agreement signed with the Argentinian company Grimoldi. Grimoldi reported this agreement to the National Securities Commission (CNV) of the Argentine Republic on March 19.

As stated at the time, Grimoldi had formalised a partnership agreement with Mango. Under this agreement, the Argentinian company became the Spanish fashion multinational's franchise partner in the country for the sale of its collections through both physical and digital channels. It was stipulated that sales would be conducted under the “MNG” brand name. The plan includes selling collections online and through a growing retail network, with five stores planned over the next five years. Grimoldi initially indicated that the first store was expected to be operational by September 2026. This date was ultimately delayed slightly to October 1.

From the perspective of the Spanish fashion multinational, which is in the final stages of its 2024-2026 4E strategic plan, the agreement with Grimoldi completely changes the operational dynamics of its past presence in Argentina. Mango first entered the country and market in 1998 but exited in 2003 after closing all four stores it operated there. These closures, along with two stores closed in 2002, were finalised in March 2003. This resulted in the dismissal of approximately 65 employees and the closure of the subsidiary through which Mango had operated directly in the country for five years. The company has now protected itself against these past complexities by returning to Argentina with Grimoldi as its local franchise partner.