Inditex has increased its lead even more since the pandemic. The momentum is there to grow even further, CEO Oscar García Maceiras believes.
Staying ahead
After the pandemic, Inditex has further strengthened its leadership position against its rivals, the CEO proudly told Spanish newspaper Expansión. García Maceiras came to power at the world’s largest fashion group in late 2021, when the founder’s daughter Marta Ortega stepped in as chair of the board at the family-owned company.
“We managed to keep growing in circumstances where other players could not”, the CEO looks back. Still, he certainly does not want to become complacent: rather, the group must continue to invest, especially at a time when many other companies are having to make savings due to high inflation and pressure on consumer spending. Consequently, there are “very good” opportunities in the market, he believes.
Heatmaps thanks to e-commerce
For example, subsidiary chains Massimo Dutti and Zara Home want to open stores in the United States, while Zara is getting into second-hand sales. Before the end of the year, the brand will have its own second-hand platform in Spain. Even in that already very mature home market (15.4 % of group sales), Inditex still sees many opportunities for growth. At the same time, the group continues to invest in China as a strategic market with a future.
Digitisation and e-commerce help the group automate, optimise inventory and logistics processes, but they also help it open physical stores more selectively and thoughtfully. Information from online sales provides heatmaps that help the company decide which markets to invest in.
The 2023 fiscal year is already off to a strong start: “The company is running at full speed, all markets are working as they should and we look forward to the evolution of the year with optimism,” Garcia Maceiras said. On 7 June, Inditex will announce financial results for the quarter from February to April.
