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Stradivarius and Uterqüe make US online debut
Hot on the heels of launching Oysho’s online store in the US, Spanish fashion group Inditex has announced the online debut of its fashion brands Stradivarius and Uterqüe in the same territory. This means that all brands across the group’s portfolio are now operating online in the US, Inditex revealed in its latest trading update for the nine months to 31 October.
The latest development is part of a wider effort to make all Inditex brands available online anywhere in the world by 2020. The move also represents a step forward in both brands’ expansion. Uterqüe, the group’s smallest chain in terms of revenue, is growing its international presence after hosting a pop-up event in London in October. The more upmarket brand had 90 stores at the end of the third quarter (one less than in the same period last year), but its shops are spread across 17 markets. The online launch in the US takes its number of online markets to more than 150 geographies.
As for Stradivarius, the chain has now two more stores than it did in October 2018, reaching 1,011 physical locations. Up until now, the US was an untouched market for the young fashion brand, and the launch of an e-commerce site follows similar moves by Oysho and Pull&Bear.
Zara is also making good progress in terms of online expansion, with recent launches in South Africa, Ukraine, the Philippines and Colombia. Zara Home and Massimo Dutti launched in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Morocco. And following the unveiling of Bershka.com/ww, all group brands are now operating online worldwide, reaching more than 200 markets.
Physical and digital growth
Recent months have also seen the group move forward with plans to upgrade its store estate in order to better integrate its physical and digital capabilities. New store openings and relocations took place in 41 markets during the third quarter, including Zara’s new store on Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona. Inditex said it opened 66 stores during the three months, totalling 7,486 stores worldwide. Zara has 2,139 stores, including 127 dedicated to Kids and 596 Zara Home shops; Pull&Bear has 975 locations; Bershka, 1,111; Massimo Dutti, 760; Stradivarius, 1,011; Oysho, 677; and Uterqüe, 90.
The openings helped the company deliver a 7.5% uplift in sales to 19.89 billion euros ($22.1bn) in the first nine months of the year, while net profit increased by 12% to 2.72 billion euros ($3bn).
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