Inditex

Inditex ( Industrias de Diseño Textil SA ) is one of the largest textile companies in the world with headquarters in Arteixo, a suburb of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.

History

After he had been active since 1963 in the textile sector, founded Amancio Ortega 1975, the textile company Zara with the opening of the first store in La Coruña. 1985 summed up the entrepreneur 's activities in the textile industry together under the name of Inditex. After 1988 began with the opening of a Zara store in Porto on international expansion of the company, it enlarged in 1991 by the creation of the brand Pull & Bear, and the acquisition of a 65 % stake in Massimo Dutti, which increased to 1996 to 100% been. There followed in 1998 the creation of the brand Bershka and the acquisition of Stradivarius 1999. During 2000, the company moved the headquarters to Arteixo near A Coruña. 2001 saw the establishment of the underwear chain Oysho, and on May 23 the IPO of the Inditex Group. 2002-2003 built Inditex in Zaragoza a second European logistics center. The subsidiary Zara Home opened in 2003, the first shops and launched in 2007 and the first online store in the group. The 2000th branch of the group opened in Hong Kong in 2004. This Inditex was now already active in 56 countries. In 2007, at two new logistics centers in Meco (Madrid ) and Onzonilla (León ), in operation. Inditex in 2008 founded the new subsidiary Uterqüe that exclusively offers accessories in its stores. In the same year in Tokyo opened the 4000th store.

Operations

On the German market, Inditex since 1999, including through the subsidiary Zara, Massimo Dutti, Zara Home, Bershka and recently represented Pull & Bear. With a rapid expansion - in 2006 alone, more than 200 new stores were opened - Zara is the biggest earner in the Inditex Group. 2008 Inditex opened 573 stores worldwide and is now represented in 73 countries, with retail stores. 2009 generated 92 301 employees in 4607 stores sales of 11.804 billion euros and a net profit of 1.3 billion euros. This Inditex is before Gap and Hennes & Mauritz (H & M ) is the largest clothing companies in the world. Also, by market capitalization, it is above H & M and Nike, the largest clothing companies in the world.

Inditex opened in 2009 its branches in Syria. With its retail chains such as Stradivarius, Bershka and Pull & Bear, Inditex began sales in China. In the same year a new distribution center in Palafolls was taken in Barcelona in operation, in addition to the already existing logistics facilities in Tordera, Province of Barcelona. 2010 opened the first stores in Bulgaria, India and Kazakhstan thus reached Inditext a presence in 77 countries. With the opening of the Zara store in the center of the historic city center of Rome in 2010, the Group reached the 5000 mark of its stores. In 2011, the stores in Taiwan, Azerbaijan, Australia, South Africa and Peru on their sale. Thus, the Inditex Group is expanding its sales by five continents and increased the number to 5,500 outlets in 82 countries now more. To strengthen the multi-channel strategy of Internet sales of the Group and the opening of Zara online stores in the U.S. and Japan in 2011 was put on the market. At the General Assembly in the same year Pablo Isla Álvarez de Tejera was elected President of the Inditex Group.

2012 Inditex opened its first stores in Armenia, Bosnia - Herzegovina, Ecuador, Georgia, and in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and thus has now 6,000 stores worldwide.

Slave labor

In December 2011 it was announced that a Brazilian suppliers of Inditex Bolivian workers employed in São Paulo over the years in slavery-like conditions and has exploited. The workers lived in sleeping quarters above the factory, the working conditions were degrading and injurious to health, has been reported. Subsequently, the Brazilian Ministry of Labour issued a fine of 1.4 million euros to Inditex.

Toxins in clothing

A week after the publication of the study "Toxic Threads - The Big Fashion Stitch-Up " to toxins in brand textiles pull the Spanish clothing chain Zara and the parent company Inditex consequences and achieve the complete cessation of the use of toxic substances in the manufacture of clothing. After the report by the environmental organization Greenpeace was able to prove also toxins in garments of Zara, the company plans to start in 2013 with the elimination process and investigate more than 100 suppliers. However, the company does not share the " Roadmap to Zero" initiative, one a year ago from competitors Adidas, C & A, H & M, Li Ning, Nike and Puma launched initiative, which now also the fashion house has joined Esprit.

Brands

For Inditex group includes (as of 2012):

• Zara - fashionable and current clothing and accessories for women, men and children in low price segment
• Zara Home - domestic items (bed linen, table linen, swimwear, towels, etc. ) in low price segment
• Pull & Bear - sporty casual wear for young women and men in the lowest mid-price segment ( since 1991, approximately 750 stores in 49 countries )
• ( Established in 1985 as a menswear brand, bought from 1991 by Inditex; approximately 570 stores in 51 countries ) fashionable and elegant fashion collections for men and women in the low- mid price range - Massimo Dutti
• Bershka - casual leisure fashion for young women and men in low price segment ( since 1998 more than 800 stores in 57 countries )
• Stradivarius - basic casual wear for young women in low price segment (more than 680 stores in 46 countries )
• Oysho - youthful women's collection with underwear, sleepwear, swimwear, home wear, etc. in the low price segment (since 2001 and some 50 stores in 31 countries )
• Uterqüe - fashionable and elegant women's fashion in the upper middle price segment (since 2008; approximately 90 stores in 17 countries )
• Lefties, - Sportswear brand for young ladies and men's clothing and accessories in the lowest price segment ( originally conceived as Zara outlets, over 100 stores in Spain, Portugal and France)
• Kiddy's Class / Skhuaban - 2001 established chain of children's fashion stores in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece and Italy
• Tempe - Inditex company that manufactures for other brands in the group footwear and accessories