Zara has opened an upsized 51,000sq ft flagship store at Birmingham’s Bullring & Grand Central shopping centre inside the former Debenhams department store.
The fashion giant’s new store will showcase its full range of womenswear, menswear and childrenswear.
The interior design is minimalist and features automated collection and returns points to deliver a seamless customer experience.
This latest move is in line with Zara’s global flagship store strategy, which sees it focusing its store roll-out on fewer, larger, tech-enabled stores in prime retail locations.
The launch comes less than a year after the opening of fellow Inditex brands Bershka and Pull & Bear at the centre and the launch of Sephora, The Sidemen and Pureseoul stores in the last six weeks.
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Hammerson director of asset management Toby Tait said: “Zara’s upsize is the latest step in the implementation of our strategy to best-in-class spaces for global brands seeking a flagship presence in destinations that out-perform.
“The impact on visitors is immense, with Bullring & Grand Central’s evolving line-up increasing footfall and sales, driving customer loyalty and generating significant positive feedback. In turn, that is stimulating even greater demand from brands to make similarly significant commitments.”
Back in September, Zara owner Inditex saw its first-half profit rise 10% driven by strong spring/summer sales.
The Spanish fashion giant’s 7.2% sales increase came despite fashion retailers across Europe being hit by wet weather over the summer.
In the same month, Primark revealed that UK sales would be down in its current half as poor weather led to lower footfall in its stores and hit seasonal lines in womenswear and footwear.
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