Inside Mango's UK expansion strategy: From brick-and-mortar growth to subcategory focus

Over recent years, Spanish international fashion brand Mango has remained steadfast in its commitment to brick-and-mortar retail. While some competitors are narrowing their physical networks, Mango has instead prioritised its footprint, navigating a challenging retail environment with a revamped, Mediterranean-inspired store concept and a focus on high-traffic shopping destinations.

This commitment is evident in the UK market. As Fiona Cullen, Mango’s international regional director for the UK & Ireland, confirmed, the brand was on track to complete its goal of opening 20 new stores across the region in 2025. Despite this already ambitious expansion, Mango has no intention of slowing down in 2026.

No plans to slow down: Target of 500 global stores set for 2026

“With a growing market for Mediterranean inspired lifestyle and fashion, we definitely see further opportunity to strengthen our presence in the UK and Ireland,” Cullen told FashionUnited. “[In 2026,] we want to reach more UK customers with our Barcelona designed style, so you’ll see us opening new stores up and down the UK, as part of our wider global ambition to open 500 additional stores worldwide between 2024 and 2026."

Financially, the UK subsidiary has shown stability. Although profit saw a dip in 2024, turnover continued to rise. Store sales and online activity were then projected to grow and stabilise into 2025, a prediction backed by promising group results in the first half of the year, during which overall sales increased 12 percent, largely driven by the international business.

Subcategories, particularly Mango Teen and Mango Kids, have also experienced strong growth. In the 2024 financial year, global sales for these lines amounted to around 293.19 million euros (approximately 253.9 million pounds), a year-over-year uptick of 19.18 percent. This success has led Mango to invest in its Teen line, which had first launched as a capsule collection in 2020 as part of a diversification strategy, before launching in 2021.

Mango Teen drives growth as category expansions present "key opportunities"

In 2024, the UK became the first country outside of Spain to welcome a standalone Mango Teen store. The company then accelerated this regional expansion in 2025, opening a third teen-focused point of sale midway through the year in Glasgow, Scotland, marking the first location outside of London.

This increased emphasis addresses a growing demand among younger generations and fills a market gap for contemporary, youthful, and reasonably priced fashion identified by Mango. The strategy is now yielding positive results, with Cullen noting: “In the first half of 2025, UK sales for Mango Teen were five times higher than the same period in 2024, demonstrating strong appetite for our Barcelona designed styles.”

In fact, overall category expansion is considered a “key opportunity in the UK”, according to Cullen. “While Womenswear has always been strong for Mango, we see strong growth opportunities in other lines too, which are playing an increasingly significant role in driving revenue,” she added.

In its approach to expansion, Mango adopts a strategic overview, opening stores based on categories that are expected to resonate most with customers in each new location. Its Mango Man pop-up in footfall-heavy Canary Wharf, London, for example, reflected a tendency by male shoppers to not venture too far to purchase clothing, instead prioritising convenience.

An integrated approach to holistic digital and physical expansion

Physical expansion is also deeply intertwined with the company’s online business, which accounts for about one-third of total sales. “We open stores where we know we have a strong online customer base, and in turn when we open a store, we see an uptick in online sales too,” Cullen explained. “Mango’s approach is genuinely integrated. Rather than a simple choice between physical and online, we take a holistic view of our customer and their purchasing journey.”

Cullen emphasised that stores would remain central to Mango’s expansion strategy, alongside continued investment in e-commerce. “We will continue this trajectory next year, bringing Mango to even more communities across the UK, whilst also being thoughtful about how our customers want to shop with us and accommodating their preferences,” she said.

One way Mango has been investing in its online presence, and for that matter its wider operations, is through AI and data. Efforts in this regard extend back to 2018, when the company began creating its own AI tools, resulting in features like automated product recommendations and marketing communications to personalise the customer experience. This then extended into last year’s launch of ‘Mango Stylist’, an AI-powered styling assistant that displays evolving fashion trends, creating ease for customers.

Of course, in utilising fast-evolving technology, particularly the hotly-debated AI, Mango has proceeded with caution. Cullen clarified: “While our focus on innovation and investing in technology will continue, our belief is that good technologies are those that help us be more human, not less. So, at Mango, we’re very clear that AI is an ally to our teams, not a threat; a tool to empower people, streamline processes and open up new possibilities for how we connect with our customers.”