Spain's fashion giant Inditex to sell its stores in Russia
Spanish fashion retailer Inditex said Tuesday it would sell its stores in Russia, seven months after the Zara-owner halted its operations in the country following the invasion of Ukraine.
The Spanish fashion giant said it had reached an "initial agreement" to sell its business in Russia to Daher group, which has business interests in retail and real estate, it said in a statement.
"The transaction will mean the termination of Inditex's operations in the Russian Federation," the company said.
"If in future Inditex considers that new circumstances allow the return of the Group's brands to this market, Inditex and the Daher group have the option of a potential collaboration through a franchise agreement."
Inditex decided in March to shut its 502 stores and stopped online sales in Russia, one of its biggest markets after Spain, accounting for 10 percent of company sales.
It followed in the footsteps of some of the biggest Western brands which also suspended their operations in Russia after its invasion in Ukraine, including Inditex's main rival H&M.
At the time Inditex said it would give its workforce of more than 9,000 people a special support plan.
The company said Tuesday that the sale of its business in Russia would enable the preservation of a "substantial number" of jobs through the transfer of leases, which will pass to brands owned by Daher.
A well-informed source who was not authorised to speak publicly told AFP that the United Arab Emirates-based Daher group is Inditex's franchisee in the Middle East.
Inditex's other brands include younger fashion chain Pull&Bear and upmarket label Massimo Dutti.
The company posted a net profit of €1.8 billion in the first six months of 2022, a 41-percent increase from the same period last year.
Inditex said the opening of new stores and rising online sales helped offset the closures in Russia.
It set aside 216 million euros in provisions in the first quarter to cope with the closures.
Comments
See Also
The Spanish fashion giant said it had reached an "initial agreement" to sell its business in Russia to Daher group, which has business interests in retail and real estate, it said in a statement.
"The transaction will mean the termination of Inditex's operations in the Russian Federation," the company said.
"If in future Inditex considers that new circumstances allow the return of the Group's brands to this market, Inditex and the Daher group have the option of a potential collaboration through a franchise agreement."
Inditex decided in March to shut its 502 stores and stopped online sales in Russia, one of its biggest markets after Spain, accounting for 10 percent of company sales.
It followed in the footsteps of some of the biggest Western brands which also suspended their operations in Russia after its invasion in Ukraine, including Inditex's main rival H&M.
At the time Inditex said it would give its workforce of more than 9,000 people a special support plan.
The company said Tuesday that the sale of its business in Russia would enable the preservation of a "substantial number" of jobs through the transfer of leases, which will pass to brands owned by Daher.
A well-informed source who was not authorised to speak publicly told AFP that the United Arab Emirates-based Daher group is Inditex's franchisee in the Middle East.
Inditex's other brands include younger fashion chain Pull&Bear and upmarket label Massimo Dutti.
The company posted a net profit of €1.8 billion in the first six months of 2022, a 41-percent increase from the same period last year.
Inditex said the opening of new stores and rising online sales helped offset the closures in Russia.
It set aside 216 million euros in provisions in the first quarter to cope with the closures.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.