Zara

[PradaBoy]

I go in the early morning, so I find the best items for me while the sale period

Thats true!!! ehehehehe

 

[AnalogBubblebath]

We just had a new shopping center here, "Cevahir". The grand opening was last week. It is said to be the biggest shopping center in Europe now. The news said it is named to be the second biggest mall in the world after US Michigans "Mall of America". (looks like a space station! )

Anyway, one of the first shops that is now open in it is "Zara Home" which also is the biggest "Zara" store in Turkey. May i say its HUGE? It sells astonishing furnitures, and also sells the off season/last years pieces, which i think is great! Zara's in Turkey gets updated every Thursday (dont know if its the same in other countries) so its kinda impossible to find what you liked the week before, people sweep everything in it! I like the variety it offers, never seen a brand that follows trends, street styles and notice tendencies that quick. Last year i read in the newspaper that Zara owns a "street style team" which follows peoples clothing trends in streets, clubs, cafes and every possible place. The team is spread worldwide in a lot of hot spots, walking and investigating around and they report their findings to the Zara headquarters in Spain everyday. The headquarters starts working on these tendencies, ideas and photographs immediately and works it to put the stuff in stores as quick as possible while its still hot, or even before it becomes hot.

I know the forum mostly concentrates on the clothes itself, but i thought some of you would be interested in reading Zara's story, as its one of my fave stores, i would love to share it too =)

"Amancio Ortega Gaona, a native of Galicia, had worked as a clerk at a ladies’ apparel retailer before starting his own housecoat manufacturing business in 1963. He opened the first Zara store in La Coruña in 1975; by
1989, there were 82 Zara stores in Spain, and Ortega began international expansion with Zara stores in Portugal, Paris and New York. Zara’s parent company Inditex took on 4 other formats, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti,
Bershka and Stradivarius,1 and in 2001 had launched Oysho, an intimate apparel and swimwear brand. The brand names Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka and Oysho were invented, generic names suitable for “export”; and by
fiscal 2000, over half of Inditex sales were outside Spain. During 2000-2001, Inditex received widespread favorable press and analyst coverage, touting Inditex’s success and attributing it to Zara’s unique integrated business model. Its success has led to Zara being described as “possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world” by Daniel R. Piette, Chairman and CEO, LV Capital. Inditex made an initial public offering of stock in May 2001, and was by then the world’s third largest clothing retailer. Ortega’s stake in Inditex was worth billions, but Ortega remained a famously privately man, still living near La Coruña and involved in running Inditex. Zara offered clothing for women (about 58% of sales), men (about 22%) and children (about 20%). In its offering document, Inditex described Zara in this way: “Zara is a high-fashion concept offering apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children, from newborns to adults aged 45. Zara stores offer a compelling blend of fashion, quality and price offered in attractive stores in prime locations on premier commercial streets and in upscale shopping centers. Our in-house design and production capabilities enable us to offer fresh designs at our Zara stores twice a week throughout the year.”

At year-end 2001 Inditex was operating over 1200 stores in over 35 countries around the world, under 6 fascia, and analysts projected that Inditex stores would easily number 2000 within 5 years. Zara’s vertically integrated model depended to a great extent on local Spanish sourcing for a large proportion of garment manufacture. But Castellano had considered that Zara would shift more production offshore, probably to Asia, to take advantage of the lower wage costs. How much of a shift was necessary to support Zara’s expansion and to meet possible pricing pressures, and how much of a shift could be made without undermining Zara’s success— were critical issues facing Inditex."
​

(taken from Colombia Business School's marketing researchs "Zara Case Inspection")

Some notes;

• Zara aims to open a shop in every country until 2010.
• After Spain, Turkey is the second country that offers the cheapest prices in Zara.
• Zara, "the pride of Spain" sells 200 million products and creates 11.000 different models every year.
• Zara's nickname is "the terminator" in the textile world and when it was first launched in Paris, textile center of the world, it caused a lot of panic as it is believed to be the nightmare of a lot of company. Zara is famous for decreasing the prices in every country it enters as it increases the competition in the sector.
• Zara so far removed fur from its 2064 stores worldwide. By the end of the year, Zara will remove all furry products from all its stores.

(notes are gathered from Hürriyet and Sabah)

I hope you excuse my limited english.

 

[Odette]

You get Zara in L.A, don't you?

 

[Odette]

Zara cheap in Spain? Not really
I just went yesterday and it's not that cheap, you get the same prices as in Rome and well that's the capital city of an important country and I am living in some little islands at the minute and we still get the same prices!

 

[cbcb]

You get Zara in L.A, don't you?

Yes - the one I know of is at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

They had some astonishingly cheap prices at the middle and back of the store (and nice styles and colors but iffy fabric quality there), while the pricier stuff with nicer fabrics is at the front.

 

[brian]

i'm crazy about zara... but the one closest to me is in houston, about 3-4 hours away... ... i think san antonio deserves its own!

 

[cbcb]

There really needs to be a shopping service in major cities that for a fee will go around and buy (or for that matter, return) clothing items from stores when the store doesn't have an Internet or mail-order service!

 

[fouroclock]

Zara cheap in Spain? Not really.

Yeah...92 bucks on a shirt with the thinnest material ever.

 

[electricladyland]

some of the styles are really cute, but the quality is not that great.
plus they need a new face up in the stores.

 

[calexico]

Zara cheap in Spain? Not really
I just went yesterday and it's not that cheap, you get the same prices as in Rome and well that's the capital city of an important country and I am living in some little islands at the minute and we still get the same prices!

when i go to barcelona i prefer mango to zara...
their clothes are younger and more alive...
unfortunately, we do not have mango here in the u.s.

 

[PrincessImp.]

There will be one opening soon on Third Street, Santa Monica.
(If it hasn't opened yet)
Keep seeing the cardboard sign whenever I am there!

 

[calexico]

There will be one opening soon on Third Street, Santa Monica.
(If it hasn't opened yet)
Keep seeing the cardboard sign whenever I am there!

lovely!
yay!

 

[Yppe]

Zara cheap in Spain? Not really

Actually, it used to be really cheap, but unfortunately now we have the same prizes that other countries in Europe. Now, it's too expensive for the bad quality of the clothes. Anyway, I bought a lot of my clothes there.

 

[yourbestfriend]

How is Zara's menswear? My sister bought me a sweater that I hate, so Ill need to do some exchange.

My friend last month bought a dress from Zara for $30!!..It was pretty niec too, it was based off this Christian Dior FW05 dress.

style.com

 

[PrincessImp.]

Hmm..I can't speak for the more trendy pieces from the menswear line, but my fiance absolutely loves what I get for him from the Zara menswear line, like sports jackets, sweaters and pants.

He's a more of a sterotypical guy, an engineer who values function(price) over form and who of course never understands my obession with fashion, but still Zara menswear is a hit with him.

I guess it all boils down to being a little discerning in what you pick. And since even a fashion-illiterate like my fiance supports Zara, that's gonna count for something!

 

[yourbestfriend]

Thanks for that impprincess, the sweater my sister got for me was from Zara, but I hated the design. I guess ill have to take a closer next time, I was in a rush the last time I was there.

Someone mentioned to me that their pants are too tight though...

 

[kawaii_elle]

i love zara because its so cheap!
finally they opened a store in the philippines. but the salesladies here in the philippines are such snobs. seriously. i want to laugh in their faces and say, it's zara, not couture.

 

[Lena]

everyone has been moaning that Zara is getting more 'expensive' these last two seasons... maybe its true since now they have berska for their lower end..

my problem with zara is their fit, and their mass appeal
the clothes look cute and a steal for the price
but most of the time the patterns are all wrong.
and then everyone is wearing them.

their more 'expensive' lines are whats worth buying
since are produced in limited volume
hence they wont be seen all over the place

 

[shoegal87]

i'm crazy about zara... but the one closest to me is in houston, about 3-4 hours away... ... i think san antonio deserves its own!

You know I went in that Zara (@ the Galleria) and i noticed that the prices in the US are a little more expensive than Europe

 

[fashionbutterfly]

zara is very classic but got some truely nice stuff for us fashionistas!....i adore it and mango as well

they r very popular in my country