Zara-owner Inditex to reopen stores in Ukraine

STORY: Zara-owner Inditex said Friday it plans to reopen stores in Ukraine from April 1 as the local market circumstances have evolved.

The company said it planned to reopen its first 20 stores in the country - three of which are under the Zara brand - and also resume online sales.

In a statement, the world’s largest listed fast fashion company said its priority is the “safety of its employees and customers”.

Inditex had 72 stores open in Ukraine and 558 in Russia in 2019, according to its annual report.

But it closed its stores in both countries in March 2022 following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions.

The fashion giant agreed to sell its stores in Russia to UAE-based Daher Group later in 2022.

But it did not rule out returning to the country if circumstances change.

Inditex said in Ukraine, it aims to reopen 50 stores over the coming months.

However, it didn’t specify how long this process would take.

It’s not the only fashion retailer returning to Ukraine - Swedish rival H&M started reopening stores there in November.

It now has seven open in Kyiv and Lviv.