Promoda Changes Sizes. What If It Also Changes the Square Meter?

In some Promoda stores across Mexico City and Querétaro, the shopping journey has begun to change. Instead of organizing merchandise by brand, some locations have started arranging it by size and, within each size, by brand. The change, recently observed by SiiLA field staff, appears minor. Yet it could reflect a much deeper shift in how retail space is being used.

In stores averaging more than 1,000 square meters of gross leasable area, that reorganization could not only reduce search time but also expand the range of options immediately visible to shoppers within their size, increasing the likelihood that they leave with more items than they originally intended to buy.

That hypothesis is consistent with research published in the Journal of Marketing, which classifies apparel as a product with high inspection depth—one that requires consumers to closely examine, touch, compare and often try on before making a purchase decision. Based on an analysis of more than 50,000 customers, the authors conclude that physical stores create value by facilitating that interaction with the product. When that happens, consumers are not only more likely to return but also generate greater value for retailers and even increase their subsequent online purchases. These findings suggest that reducing friction when inspecting this type of product can strengthen the shopping experience.

From a real estate perspective, the change goes beyond how merchandise is displayed. It suggests that part of a store’s performance depends not only on how much space it occupies, but also on how that space guides the customer’s path through the store, shaping the productivity that can be achieved without increasing its footprint.

In Promoda’s case, a change of this nature takes on a different dimension because of the scale of its operations. According to SiiLA and company data, the chain occupies approximately 250,000 square meters of gross leasable area across at least 218 stores in 29 Mexican states. With 84% of those locations situated in shopping malls, while the remainder operate as street-front stores or on supermarket properties, an operational adjustment that improves store productivity could also reshape the company’s expansion strategy.

Between the second quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2026, Promoda’s occupied area in the country’s main shopping centers across Northern, Central and Bajío Mexico grew at a 13% compound annual growth rate. In that context, increasing the productivity of existing occupied space could become a complement—or, in some markets, a partial alternative—to adding new square footage.

At the same time, any improvement in store performance could extend beyond the retailer itself to the properties that house its locations. This possibility is supported by shopping mall literature, which documents that stores generate positive externalities not only through their own sales, but also through their ability to attract and retain visitors who later spend at other establishments.

For now, it is not possible to determine whether the shift from organizing merchandise by brand to organizing it by size is a limited pilot or the beginning of a broader operational change across the chain. However, its presence in stores across two different markets suggests it may represent more than an isolated adjustment.

To learn more about the trends reshaping commercial real estate in Mexico, visit SiiLA Market Analytics or contact us at contacto@siila.com.mx.