Recent reports reveal that Zara, a Spanish fast-fashion brand, has shut down 9 stores across the Chinese mainland in just over two months. 

"Buy and cherish Zara's products now, as there won't be any store of Zara in the city in the future." Recently, the news of Zara abruptly closing stores in several cities circulated on social media, with many fans expressing their sadness. Regarding rumors of Zara gradually pulling out of the Chinese market, a staff of Zara stated that there is currently no relevant information.

On April 7^th, the staff checked which cities had seen recent closures of Zara stores, stating, "On April 2^nd, we closed the Baoshan store in Shanghai. On March 31st, we closed stores in Dongguan and Huizhou. There are currently 87 stores operating as usual."

According to the financial report of Zara's parent company, Inditex Group, Zara, at its peak, had 183 stores in the Chinese mainland, but this number decreased by nearly a hundred after six years. Not just in China, Zara also saw a net decrease of 74 stores globally in the past year. However, it's puzzling that Zara's sales for the fiscal year 2023 increased by 10% year-on-year. Additionally, the founder of Zara, Amancio Ortega, continues to top the Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024, advancing one spot from 2023, with a fortune of 111.2 billion US dollars, ranking twelfth on the list.

The changes in these data are striking. According to industry insiders, in recent years, Zara has adjusted its positioning, making a push towards the higher-end market, and has thus also altered its strategies for offline stores. The significant decision to close multiple stores recently is likely to be a consideration of factors such as local sales, brand image and potential.

Inditex Group has been operating in China since the 1990s, introducing brands such as Massimo Dutti, Oysho, and Zara Home. Currently, Inditex Group has partnerships with over 2,900 textile manufacturers in China, and maintains close ties with supermodels, photographers, fashion designers, and other industry talents in China.

Last year, Eugenio Bregolat Lukashov, president of Inditex Greater China, stated in an interview that China is one of the most significant strategic markets for the Inditex Group, emphasizing the group's close attention to the Chinese market and its commitment to deepen its investment and expand its store footprint in China. Additionally, he mentioned that the group's store opening strategy will focus on digitally advanced stores of higher quality, thereby providing customers with the latest brand experience. Features such as smart fitting rooms and self-checkout will be introduced within its stores in China.

Source :Yangcheng Evening News

2个月连关9家店！ZARA回应撤出中国传闻

据媒体报道，仅仅两个多月，西班牙快时尚品牌Zara在中国内地市场就关闭了9家店。

“且买且珍惜，以后这座城市再也没有Zara。”近日，Zara突然在多城关店的消息在社交平台上流传，众多粉丝纷纷表示不舍。据报道，对于“Zara将要逐步撤出中国市场”的传闻，Zara工作人员表示，目前还没有相关消息。

4月7日，该工作人员查询了近期品牌关店的城市，称“4月2日，我们关闭了上海宝山门店；3月31日关闭了东莞、惠州的门店。现在正常营业的店铺有87家”。

据Zara母公司爱特思（Inditex）财报，Zara鼎盛期在中国内地开了183家店铺，时隔6年就减少了近百家。不仅在中国关店，Zara全球门店过去一年也净减少了74家。但令人费解的是，Zara2023财年销售额却同比增长10%。另外，Zara“之父”阿曼西奥·奥特加也继续蝉联2024年福布斯全球富豪榜，还比2023年前进一位，以1112亿美元的财富位列榜单第十二。

数据的对比让人大跌眼镜。据业内人士分析，近几年，Zara的定位进行了调整，向更高端市场发起冲击，由此也改变了线下门店战略，这次关闭多家店铺的“大动作”，应该是综合了当地销售、品牌整体形象、未来潜力等多因素做出的决定。

爱特思集团早从上世纪90年代开始就在中国开展业务，将旗下Massimo Dutti、Oysho、Zara Home等品牌带进中国，目前爱特思集团已与超2900家中国纺织品制造商进行合作，同时与中国的超模、摄影师、时尚设计师等业内人才保持着密切的联系。

去年，爱特思集团大中华区总裁白晨铭在接受采访时表示：中国是爱特思集团最重要的战略市场之一。集团非常关注中国市场，将继续加深在中国的投资，扩展门店布局。未来，集团的开店策略将聚焦更高品质且数字化程度高的店铺，从而给客户带来最新的品牌体验。在中国的店铺内，将推出例如智能试衣间、自助结账等功能。

文丨记者 林丽爱
图丨澎湃新闻
译丨邹晓华