Mango opens 77 stores in the U.S.

New York (ACN).- The Catalan clothing company Mango began its collaboration with the U.S. department store JCPenney last Wednesday. The company is now selling its merchandise in over 77 JCPenney stores throughout the United States. The first week’s sales have been “very positive”, said JCPenney’s New York manager, Joe Cardamone. He explained that the incorporation of the Mango brand “has brought fashion savvy young people between 19 and 35 years old back into our store”. Mango plans to open 300 shops in the U.S. by April of 2011 and 600 shops by the Fall of 2011. The U.S. director of Mango, Rafael Ayash, explained to ACN that their collaboration with JCPenney will allow them to cover “the maximum possible territory”.

The Mango shops or “corners” within JCPenney stores will maintain the same decoration as the Catalan storefronts. The company will exclusively sell its “MNG by Mango” line in the U.S., both in the department stores and online.

At the JCPenney store in Manhattan, situated in one of the most commercial zones of the city, 34th Street with 6th Avenue right next to the famous Macy’s department store, the Catalan company occupies a preferred space at the store’s entrance. Mango’s New York manager Joe Cardamone considers this to have been key in the success of the brand’s first week.

“The first 2 days have been very, very satisfying from what we have seen. I think the customers are very enthusiastic, and the price is very good for them. We are very happy with the amount of people coming through”, said Cardamone.

Ayash, the director of Mango for the U.S. and Canada, told ACN that the company is “very happy” and that the first week’s sales “have already exceeded our expectations”.

Their Manhattan space, some 100 squared metres, displays 2,000 pieces of clothing and accessories without leaving anything in the warehouse. Cardamone remembered the first customer to shop at the Manhattan Mango, saying that “she took away 14 pieces”. The manager thanks the Catalan company for its role in bringing young customers back into JCPenney.

The 77 new shops have opened in 10 different states throughout the U.S., among which include California, Florida, New York and Texas. Mango already has 12 of their own stores in the U.S., now reinforced by their new commercial strategy. Ayash told ACN that they have not discarded the possibility of expanding the Mango brand in the U.S. “We are looking into various opportunities for broadening the Mango network, such as storefronts, malls and other possible collaborations”, like what they have done with JCPenney.

Ayash explained that the type of agreement they have made with JCPenney is “a several year wholesale agreement in which both companies will share knowledge of logistics, image, supply and merchandising”.

JCPenney is a mid-range department store chain with over 1,107 establishments in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In 2009, the company brought in some 17,600 million dollars.