Zara owner Inditex managed to maintain its position as the world’s biggest fashion retailer thanks to opening close to 100 stores in six months and launching websites across the globe.
Sales rose 6% to €7.7 billion (£6.46 billion) in the first half of the year although underlying profits remained flat at €1.6 billion as tightening cost controls kicked in to help compensate for poor weather in some of its biggest countries. The company is tempering expectations for the rest of the year after a barnstorming set of results last year, where profits jumped by a quarter.
But the fast fashion label, which also owns the Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti and Bershka chains, continues to open stores including a flagship Oysho store in China, the first Zara Home store in Sweden and the first Pull & Bear store in Germany.
Online it operates in 24 countries and launched its first Russian website.
