Compared with the poor performance of the same European rival H&M blamed on the weather, Zara's parent company, Inditex, was strong in the first half of this year. In the 2016 semi-annual report released on September 21, Inditex reported its performance as of July 31st. In the first half of the year, the Group’s total sales amounted to approximately EUR 10.5 billion, an increase of 11% year-on-year, and net profit of EUR 1.26 billion, an increase of 8% year-on-year, exceeding analysts' expectations. As the world's largest clothing retailer, Inditex operates eight brands in 90 countries, but the core engine of the group's revenue has been Zara. In the first half of the year, the latter contributed 66.5% of total sales, followed by Bershka, which accounted for 8.5%, followed by major brands such as Massimo Dutti and Pull&Bear, both of which each had approximately one-tenth of Zara’s sales. In addition to Spain, the European region performed the best, contributing 43% to sales, followed by Asia and 25% other international markets except Spain and the United States, and Inditex’s headquarters in Spain contributed 17% of sales. . In addition, Inditex lowered its target for retail space expansion earlier this year in order to shift its focus to larger, more fully integrated stores in major markets. In August, Zara's flagship store in Antwerp, Belgium, has been reopened after renovations and expansion. In September, Zara opened a new 5-storey flagship store on a major shopping street in Galician, the Spanish headquarters. Stradivarius, another brand of the Group, also opened a flagship store in Oxford Street, London. Reprinted from: Curiosity Daily Stainless Steel Utensil Holder Jiangmen Junerte Stainless Steel Kitchenware Co.,Ltd , https://www.jetkitchenwarejm.com
One of the reasons for the better performance is that Inditex continued its strategy of expanding into the international market. In the first half of this year, the Group opened 83 new stores in 38 countries, covering a full range of brands, bringing the number of its global stores to 7,096. This strategy will continue. In September, Zara opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the customers responded strongly. In October, Zara will also open its first store in Auckland, New Zealand. 
The expansion of the international market will coincide with the expansion of the online sales platform. Inditex Chairman Pablo Isla emphasized the Group’s investment in technology and stated that it has expanded online stores to 11 new countries in the first half of the year. Currently, it is mainly based in Eastern Europe. It will also open in Turkey in October this year.
Inditex has also launched Inwallet, a mobile phone application, in all Spanish stores. When shopping at a store, customers who have bank cards bound can check out their mobile phones directly through Inwallet. Inditex also plans to extend the application to other countries.
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