Archive for the “Expansion” Category

JCPenney will Launch MNG by MANGO in Fall 2010 in up to 75 JCPenney stores and on jcp.com. MNG by MANGO to be centerpiece of JCPenney’s contemporary assortment; Arrangement combines JCPenney’s Merchandising and Marketing Expertise with our World-Renowned Leadership in Design and Fast Fashion.

We announced today our intention to enter into an agreement under which JCPenney will become MANGO’s exclusive department store retailer in the United States for the “MNG by MANGO” brand.

The MNG by MANGO brand will include a full lifestyle offering of career and casual sportswear as well as accessories sold only at JCPenney. Planned to be the largest rollout ever of any fast fashion concept, MNG by MANGO will be a specialty store within JCPenney and the centerpiece of a newly designed contemporary area in the core of JCPenney stores. Beginning Fall 2010, MNG by MANGO will launch in up to 75 stores and on jcp.com, with plans to expand to approximately 600 stores by Fall 2011.

“Every time we bring MANGO to a new international market, it has driven immediate, strong demand, and we have only begun to capitalize on the great desire for MANGO in the U.S.,” said Enric Casi, MANGO’s CEO. “JCPenney is the perfect match for us to take advantage of the opportunity we see for the MNG by MANGO brand in this market. JCPenney is increasingly known as a leader in affordable style and has an exceptional track record in merchandising and marketing contemporary brands for the U.S. customer. We are thrilled to see this come to life with our MNG by MANGO brand.”

Our collection will be showcased in a compelling, unique store environment that will occupy approximately 1,000 square feet in JCPenney stores, and will anchor a new contemporary merchandise area located at the core of the women’s apparel department, which is JCPenney’s top-performing division.

“MNG by MANGO brings a European runway aesthetic with mass appeal to JCPenney through a unique partnership that capitalizes on the strengths of each of our businesses to deliver clear benefits,” said Liz Sweney, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of women’s apparel at JCPenney. “MNG by MANGO will resonate strongly with our fastest-growing customer segments, as well as with the younger customers who we have attracted through the major enhancements we have made in our contemporary assortment. We look forward to working with the exceptionally talented team at MANGO and to bringing their extraordinary brand to our customers.”

About JCPenney
JCPenney is one of America’s leading retailers, operating 1,109 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation’s largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company’s commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price.

We open a store in the Kurdish province of Erbil, located in the north of the country

We have opened our first store in Iraq, in the Kurdish province of Erbil, in the north of the country. Once again, this new opening demonstrates our commitment to the Middle East region. With this opening, we are now present in every country in the region, which we first entered in 1997 with the opening of our first store in Kuwait.

MANGO at Erbil’s Majidi Mall

The new premises have a total surface area of 400m2 and are located at Erbil’s modern shopping centre, Majidi Mall. The décor is along the same lines as the other stores. The store interior mainly consists of black and white furniture and its warm atmosphere is provided by the white lights distributed throughout the premises.

In recent years, we have significantly increased our presence in the Arabic market. We have now 37 stores in Saudi Arabia, 15 in the United Arab Emirates and 7 in Kuwait. We are also planning to open new stores in these countries and to open our first store in Yemen.

Isak Halfon, Head of Expansion Dept., says that MANGO’s arrival in Iraq represents a challenge for the company, since this is a virgin market. However, we are confident that this opening will be a success like the other countries in this region. MANGO has been well received in the Middle East, and turnover for the Arabic market accounts for 9% of total company turnover.

This new opening demonstrates our expansion strategy, to be present in every country in the world with a product aimed at the modern urban woman which combines quality and design at an affordable price.

We now have 1,360 stores in 95 countries. Our new store locations include Belgrade, Dubai, Johannesburg, Manila, Moscow, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Beijing and Tokyo.

In the next 2 months, we will open 4 new stores in Kazakhstan. We opened our first store in the centre of Almaty in September 2003 and in 2005 and 2007, we opened two more stores in two of the main cities in this Eurasian country: Karaganda and Astana.

Kazakhstan is significant to our expansion strategy, given its potential for economic development in the medium term and because it is a country with very positive socio-economic growth forecasts. This is why we have decided to open four new stores in the cities of Almaty, Aktobe and Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Our two new stores will be located in the new commercial centres MEGA and A’PORT, which will open in August. Both stores have a total surface area of 250 m2, distributed over a single floor. The décor is predominated by light colours such as beige and white, which are combined with American walnut and metal finishes.

Asia is the continent in which we have invested the greatest expansion effort. China is still within our sights. In the short term we are planning to open 7 new stores, one of them located in the Raffles City shopping centre in Shanghai, which opened last July, in addition to 3 imminent openings, taking the number of openings in China to 57.

In addition to China, in 2009 we opened 2 new stores in the busiest shopping street in Seoul, South Korea and we are planning 3 more openings in the coming months. In Singapore, we have just opened a new store in the Ion Orchard shopping centre, which houses the country’s most prestigious fashion brands, and we plan to open 2 more stores before the end of the year. In the Philippines, we are celebrating our 10th anniversary with the opening of 2 new stores of large dimensions in the heart of Manila. However, the country experiencing the biggest growth in terms of store openings is Japan. We have announced the imminent opening of a new store in the luxury Lalaport Shin Misato shopping centre in Tokyo. In September and October, we are planning to open another 4 stores in Japan, taking the total number of stores to 12.

We currently have a total of 1,270 stores in 93 countries. In 2009, we entered Iraq and New Caledonia for the first time. Throughout the year, we plan to increase the number of stores by 150. The locations for our new stores include Belgrade, Dubai, Johannesburg, Manila, Moscow, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Beijing and Tokyo.

We entered the Belarus market at the end of May. Last season, we opened our first store in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the first store in Guatemala will open in mid-June. With these new openings, the total number of countries in which we operate will increase to 93.

The store in Minsk has a total area of 280 m2 and is situated in the Independence Square Shopping Centre, one of the trendiest shopping centres in Minsk. The interior of the store is composed mainly of black and white furniture, and the warm atmosphere is achieved through soft lights that are placed throughout the store. We are also planning to open a second point of sale in Minsk during the Fall-Winter ’09 season.

The Tbilisi store has a shop floor of 240 m2 and is situated at number 16 Chavchavadze Avenue, in an area of commercial interest in Tbilisi. The store is spread over two floors, clad in black stone. On the outside of the store there is a vinyl lattice, reminiscent of the decoration on Granada’s Alhambra palace.

In Guatemala, the MNG store will be located in the famous Oakland Mall in Guatemala City, and will have a surface area of 400 m2.

Mango in the world

MANGO currently has more than 1,200 stores in 93 countries. During 2009, we will also enter the new markets of Iraq and New Caledonia. Throughout 2009, we are planning to increase its number of stores by 150. The locations of the new stores include Belgrade, Dubai, Kuwait, Johannesburg, Manila, Moscow, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Beijing and Tokyo.

Isak Halfon, Member of the Board and Expansion Director, explains that “These new openings are very important for us, as they are part of an expansion strategy that aims to have worldwide presence, with a product that combines quality and design at affordable prices, targeting the modern urban woman”.