SPAIN’S Inditex, Europe’s largest clothing retailer, said on Monday (May 31) that it had opened the first store of its flagship Zara brand in India as part of its push into the fast-growing Asian market.

The inauguration of the 1,800-sq m (19,375 sq ft) outlet in a shopping mall in Delhi on Saturday (May 29) will be followed by the opening of another Zara outlet in Mumbai and another in Delhi within weeks, it said.

“The country has a dozen cities whose populations each exceed three million people and the Indian market promises substantial growth potential for Zara’s fashion offering,” Inditex said.

The company plans to open a total of five Zara branches in India this year as part of a joint venture with Indian conglomerate Tata Group.

Zara will target the upper middle class in India and its prices will be about 10 per cent higher than in Europe.

The company operates in 77 countries following the opening of its first store in India.

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