Mango, Toronto

As such, there can be a temptation to put it in the same bracket as Zara and to think that the majority of Mango stores will be the same irrespective of where they are.

This is a mistake and perhaps owing to it being a company that has franchisees as a major part of the way it is structured, there are few stores that are wholly similar. And this one, in Toronto’s Yorkdale shopping mall, on the city’s outskirts, shows just how good the better ones can be.

With an exterior that melds dark brown wood with white rendered walls to give a clean fascia, this is immediately different from any of its neighbours and it would stand proud on any high street.

The point about this store, however, is the interior. It continues the promise provided on the outside with a series of semi-screens consisting of floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. These create frames running from front to back and enable discrete departments to be formed for shoppers. Add to this some grey floor tiles, simple ceiling baffles and unfussy mid-floor equipment that focuses the eye on the stock, and you have a well thought through interior.

From a retailer’s perspective there’s obviously a lot to be said for stores that can be rolled out without huge amounts of fuss. However, stores that differ depending on location provide the kind of interest for shoppers that can make the difference between venturing in or not…and they can still be formatted in terms of equipment without compromising this.