ZARA母公司Inditex在首尔江南开设旗舰店，称将韩国打造为全球零售试验田

Fashion brand ZARA opened a flagship store in Seoul's Gangnam district on the 27th and said it will develop South Korea into a core global hub. The company views Korea not simply as a sales market but as a place where new fashion and retail approaches take shape, and plans to apply what it learns there to its business worldwide.
Raul Estradera, chief communications officer at Inditex Group, which operates ZARA, said at an event marking the store's opening that Korean customers set a very high bar and make many demands on the retail experience. "We are delivering global results by applying what we have learned in the Korean market overseas," he said. Entering a fast-growing and fiercely competitive market such as Korea is itself a spur and offers much to learn, he added, saying it will serve as an opportunity to offer better products.
Gangnam was chosen as the flagship site because the company judged it to be a commercial district where Korean fashion and culture spread quickly. "Gangnam is a commercial district that represents Korea and a place where new lifestyles and fashion trends are constantly born," said Song Jae-yong, president overseeing Korea and Japan for Inditex. "The original ideas and culture that start here spread more widely on the strength of their strong influence."
The Gangnam flagship, spanning about 2,130 square meters, brings together womenswear and menswear along with ZARA Origins and the sportswear line Athleticz. As an exclusive special collection, it is also unveiling designs inspired by the silhouette of hanbok and Korean streetwear. T-shirts bearing a "Seoul Gangnam" label and the store's address are also being released.
The store has separate space for online order returns, automated return processing and pickup, which the company said breaks down the boundary between online and offline. On the first floor is the country's second Zacaffè, following the flagship at Noon Square in Myeongdong last year. Korean elements such as dancheong, traditional multicolored patterns, and roof tiles have been applied throughout, and a large installation work titled "Imugi" spans three floors. It reinterprets the imugi of Korean folklore in a contemporary form to express growth, change and new possibilities.
Inditex Group entered Korea with the ZARA brand in 2008 and has since introduced affiliated brands including Massimo Dutti and ZARA Home.