Flying Tiger Arrives in Mexico. Just Another Store or a New Battle for Consumers?
- The variety store chain could enter Mexico with the backing of an established group, in a market where more stores do not necessarily mean more spending.
Flying Tiger Copenhagen is preparing to open its first stores in Mexico, with one location identified at Plaza Carso in Mexico City and two other potential locations at Plaza Tlalne Fashion Mall and Town Square Metepec in the State of Mexico. The Danish chain plans to open five stores across the Mexico City metropolitan area in November as part of its entry into the country, which has been linked to Rally Total, a company associated with Grupo JULIO¹.
The three shopping centers where the variety store chain could operate have something in common. All three are home to JULIO and Miniso, the latter being one of the chains Flying Tiger will compete with in Mexico. The overlap is particularly significant in JULIO’s case, as the brand operates in nearly one-third of the shopping centers monitored by SiiLA in Mexico City and its metropolitan area.
Although JULIO’s presence at all three locations could be related to Rally Total’s reported involvement in bringing Flying Tiger to Mexico, the available information does not establish whether it influenced the selection of the properties. In any case, bringing in a local operator would be consistent with the Danish chain’s international expansion strategy. In its 2025 annual report, the company said it had signed agreements with three new franchise partners, with openings planned in five additional markets during 2026, as well as commitments to begin operations in the Americas during the second half of the year. However, the report does not identify Mexico or the companies involved in those agreements.
Flying Tiger and Its Shopping Center Strategy
Founded in Denmark in 1995, Flying Tiger Copenhagen sells home goods, toys, stationery, and seasonal products, among other categories. Its offering is distinguished by a constantly changing selection of affordable, design-oriented products, while its more than 1,100 stores across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific feature maze-like layouts designed to encourage exploration and keep shoppers in stores longer.
According to the company, its stores are typically located in prime, high-traffic retail destinations, such as Plaza Carso in Nuevo Polanco, where Flying Tiger is preparing to open a store on the first floor. Based on photographs, property floor plans, and SiiLA records, the store is estimated to occupy between 100 and 150 square meters of retail space.
Choosing established retail destinations will be particularly important for Flying Tiger in a market where other variety store chains already have extensive store networks. According to SiiLA data, its competitors operate at least 107 stores in Mexico City and the State of Mexico, including 94 in shopping centers and 13 street-level locations. The Danish company will therefore begin competing for shoppers in locations where this retail format already has a substantial presence.
Mexico Attracts Another Variety Store Chain
Flying Tiger’s arrival comes one week after Daiso, another competitor, opened its first two stores in Mexico. Both entries are taking place in a retail market projected to grow between 3.5% and 4.4% annually, while the combined store network of six variety store chains previously analyzed by SiiLA expanded by approximately 16% between 2020 and 2026.
These figures point to a business bet on a type of consumption driven neither exclusively by necessity nor by large purchases, at a time when consumer confidence stood at 45.2 points in September 2026, slightly below the levels recorded in the same month of the previous three years.
Under these conditions, the expansion of variety store networks does not necessarily depend on households increasing their spending, as it can also occur if they allocate a larger share of their purchases to these chains. For shopping centers, this means that the arrival of new chains could shift the distribution of sales among tenants without a proportional increase in spending by their visitors.
Want to track the evolution of these chains and their retail locations in Mexico? Visit SiiLA Market Analytics or email us at contacto@siila.com.mx.
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¹ The reference to Rally Total’s involvement in bringing Flying Tiger Copenhagen to Mexico comes from job postings published on Glassdoor, Indeed, and Simply Hired, in which Rally Total identifies itself as a Grupo JULIO company and states that it is “expanding rapidly with the arrival of Flying Tiger Copenhagen.” The relationship between Rally Total and Grupo JULIO is also supported by professional information posted on LinkedIn by individuals associated with both companies. In addition, Jacobo Hamui Mizrahi, identified by El Financiero as the general manager of Flying Tiger Copenhagen in Mexico, is linked to Grupo JULIO through his social media accounts. However, the sources consulted do not independently confirm the nature or scope of the business relationship between Rally Total and Flying Tiger Copenhagen.
