"Few brands have been more associated with the fast-fashion boom of the last two decades than Zara, the flagship apparel chain owned by Spanish clothing giant Inditex SA. It may surprise some consumers to learn, then, that Zara has in fact reduced its global footprint over the last few years since the pandemic. The brand's decline in physical storefronts has been moderate but meaningful, from a third-quarter peak of around 2,139 stores in 2019"
"Earlier this year, Inditex began breaking out store count numbers for Lefties, its discount chain. Lefties is small but growing. According to earnings data posted earlier this month, the chain had 213 global locations as of the third quarter of 2025, up from 203 locations from the same period last year. What's more, Lefties stores had previously been counted as Zara stores in Inditex earnings reports, a spokesperson confirmed with Fast Company."
"Amaya Guillermo, who heads corporate communications for Zara USA, says the decline reflects a shift toward Inditex's "optimization plan," which began several years ago. "Under this strategy, smaller stores have been absorbed into larger, upgraded locations," Guillermo said. "Creating distinctive retail spaces allows us to enhance the customer experience by incorporating the latest in-store technologies, including assisted checkouts, among many other features.""
Zara's global store count has declined since 2019, dropping from a third-quarter peak of about 2,139 stores to under 1,800 five years later, a 16% reduction. Inditex began reporting Lefties separately; Lefties had 213 global locations in Q3 2025 and were previously counted as Zara stores. Under the new metrics, Zara had 1,528 stores as of October 31. Inditex describes the change as an optimization plan that absorbs smaller stores into larger, upgraded locations and adds in-store technologies. Inditex reported a 2% increase in commercial space and roughly 5.9% sales growth in 2024.
Read at Fast Company
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