Zara’s Owner Set to Close Stores Globally
June 11, 2020
Penelope Trent

Unfortunate news to all you Zara loves, Inditex, the parent company of Zara and Massimo Dutti, among other brands, announced on Wednesday that it is closing between 1,000 to 1,200 stores over the next two years. The Spanish fast-fashion giant announced the news along with its first-quarter earnings. At the same time, however, the company also announced some positive plans for the future. It announced plans to invest $1 billion into its online shopping platforms over the next three years.

Getty Images/ News/ Edward Berthelot

The company is also spending $1.7 billion on upgrading its stores to become more integrated with its online platform by “deploying advanced technology solutions,” it said. “The overriding goal between now and 2022 is to speed up full implementation of our integrated store concept, driven by the notion of being able to offer our customers uninterrupted service no matter where they find themselves, on any device and at any time of the day,” CEO Pablo Isla said in a statement.

The total store count will fall from 7,412 to between 6,700 and 6,900 after the reorganization, which will also include the opening of 450 new shops. The company has expanded at a rapid rate over the past decade and a half opening stores in 96 different countries. During the lockdown, only 965 of its stores were open, and during that time, online sales increased by 95%. Overall during the first quarter, online sales were up 50%. Before the pandemic hit, Inditex was already focused on expanding its online business. However, its decision to double down on this suggests that it is expecting e-commerce to play a more important role in the long hall.

Getty Images/ News/ Xavi Torrent

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