Inditex-owned fast-fashion retailer, Z ara has opened a new-style Asia flagship store in Nanjing, China. Through this move, the brand aims to close underperforming stores and focus on larger, more prominent retail locations.
In its new Chinese store, Zara aims to introduce several new features including enhanced digital integration and spaces designed to encourage customers spend more time shopping. If successful, the brand plans to introduce these features in other markets also.
The brand aims to particularly revitalize its presence in China as multinational brands targeting middle-class consumers in the country have faced challenges due to a general slowdown in spending, as well as increased competition from local brands.
Spanning 2,500 sq m across two floors in Nanjing's central business district, Xinjiekou, the new Zara store includes a salon for private shopping experiences, featuring a lounge area and private fitting rooms.
It also boasts a ‘fit check’ studio with multiple cameras and lighting setups, allowing customers to record video content and download it directly to their phones. Both the salon and studio can be booked through the popular social messaging app, WeChat. The downstairs area of the store features the first Zacaffe coffee shop outside of Spain.
To optimize its retail space by concentrating on flagship stores in prime locations and boosting online sales, Inditex has been reducing its global store footprint in the last few years.n
As recently as 2019, the company had 570 stores in China, its largest physical presence outside of Spain. However, by January 31, 2025, this number had decreased to 132.
