Retail Asia 2018 RA September.October 2018 (Online) | Page 17

NEWS
Inditex brands will be selling
online worldwide by 2020
PABLO ISLA, Inditex, chairman and
CEO, said in September that all of
the clothing company’s brands will be
available to purchase online anywhere in
the world by 2020.
“We want to make our fashion
collections available to all our customers,
wherever they are in the world, even in
those markets which do not currently
have our bricks-and-mortar stores,” said
Isla.
The Inditex chief executive also
highlighted that all of the group’s brands
— Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti,
Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara
Home and Uterqüe — will adopt the
integrated stock management system
by 2020 in all the countries in which
there is a physical store presence. This
system makes it possible to fulfil online
customer orders with store inventory. To
date, integrated stock management is in
To date, integrated stock management is in place in Zara stores across 25 markets, including
China, Spain, France, Italy, the US, the UK and Mexico. Inditex currently has stores in 96
markets and operates online in 49 markets.
place in Zara stores across 25 markets,
including China, Spain, France, Italy,
the US, the UK and Mexico. Inditex
currently has stores in 96 markets and
operates online in 49 markets.
This advanced platform is possible
thanks to radio frequency identification
technology (RFID) which is already
fully deployed at Zara and Uterqüe
globally (see page 38 for more details).
The technology is currently being rolled
out across the rest of the brands globally
for completion across the whole group
by 2020.
Framed by its environmental
commitments, by 2020, Inditex is also
aiming to have all of its stores around
the world operating under its eco-
efficiency plan, which delivers energy
and water savings of 20% and up to
50% compared with conventional
stores, respectively. This plan has already
been implemented in 80% of Inditex’s
stores, including 100% of its stores
in China, and is on schedule for full
deployment by 2020. ra
IGD Asia launched to offer research
on Asian food, grocery retailing
RESEARCH and training organisation
IGD recently added a new research and
insights platform to its roster of services,
with an eastern focus that builds on the
company’s existing expertise in the region
— IGD Asia.
Led by IGD’s team of industry
experts headquartered in Singapore, the
service will offer field-based research
and analysis into Asian food and grocery
retailing, providing businesses with in-
depth information to trade successfully
in the region.
The new platform will sit alongside
IGD’s current global insights platforms,
Retail Analysis, ShopperVista and
Supply Chain Analysis, with a focus
on future-facing insights that cover the
latest trends shaping the evolution of the
grocery industry in Asia; the best retail
innovations, in-store category excellence;
and best-in-class promotional and
seasonal activity.
Speaking on the launch of the new
service, Louise Spillard, managing
director of IGD Asia, said: “IGD Asia is
a step change for businesses wanting to
better understand and trade successfully
with the FMCG industry in Asia. The
relationships we have built with retailers
and suppliers in Asia give us unrivalled
access to what’s happening on the ground
in the region, and allow us to be uniquely
placed to understand the challenges
companies face and deliver the right
insight and capability.
“What sets us apart is that we really
understand retailers and manufacturers,
both strategically and operationally. We
know FMCG, we know what exceptional
looks like, and we can show customers
how to get there. Our insights not only
show the ‘what’ but importantly also add
value around the ‘how’ and ‘why’.
We help manufacturers understand
their customers, the retailers, as well as
understand how to operate within their
own businesses better to identify and
realise the opportunities available to
them.”
IGD Asia will provide in-depth
coverage of 18 markets across Asia, with
a particular focus on China. Additionally,
it will cover more than 100 retailer
profiles in the region, with information
on latest strategies, forecast growth, news,
store visit reports and photographs taken
in-store. ra
Retail Asia September/October 2018
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