Zara successful excessive road style combat as gross sales surge

The owner of Zara reported a strong start to the new year as it faces renewed competition from Marks & Spencer.

Spanish fashion group Inditex, whose brands also include Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti, said sales in the past five weeks were 9 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

The figures, published yesterday, were seen as a sign that the global clamour for Zara and other Inditex labels is not waning.

The world’s largest-listed clothing retailer said it would add 5 per cent to its store space in 2026, relying on its tried-and-tested formula of delivering catwalk looks for less in double-quick time.

But its eminence faces a new challenge from M&S, which yesterday said it was launching monthly ‘curated edits’ of the latest looks, with about 28 pieces in each ‘drop’.

These will be available online and in selected stores including the Pantheon in Oxford, Liverpool and Manchester.

Supply will be limited, as is the practice at Zara.