Inditex

INDITEXZARA SKHUABAN PULL AND BEAR MASSIMO DUTTI BERSHKA STRADIVARIUS OYSHO ZARA HOMEINDITEX GROUP TIMELINE19631974Amancio Ortega Gaona, chairman and founder of Inditex, begins his business activities as a clothing manufacturer. The business growssteadily over the next decade until it has several production centres, distributing their products to different European countries.1975197619841985Zara is founded with the opening of its first store in a central street in A Coruña (Spain).The Zara fashion concept is well received by the public, allowing it to expand its network of stores to the main Spanish cities.The creation of Inditex as the head of the corporate group.19861987The manufacturing companies in the Group direct their total production to the Zara chain and establish the basis for a logistics systemto match the expected high growth rates.19881989199019911992199419951996The opening of the first Zara store outside Spain occurs in December 1988 in Porto (Portugal).The Group expands to the United States and France with the opening of outlets in New York (1989) and Paris (1990).The founding of the Pull and Bear chain and the purchase of 65% of the Massimo Dutti Group.Inditex continues to open new international markets: Mexico in 1992, Greece in 1993, and Belgium and Sweden in 1994.Inditex acquires the whole of the share capital of Massimo Dutti. This year also sees the opening of the first store of the Group in Maltaand, in the following year, in Cyprus.1997Norway and Israel join the list of countries in which Inditex is present.1998The Bershka chain, targeting the younger female market, begins activity in a year which also sees the opening of stores in new countries:United Kingdom, Turkey, Argentina, Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Kuwait and Lebanon.1999The acquisition of Stradivarius makes it the fifth chain of the Group. Stores are also opened in new countries: The Netherlands, Germany,Poland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.2000Inditex installs its central services in a new building in Arteixo (A Coruña, Spain). The opening of stores in four new countries: Andorra,Austria, Denmark and Qatar.2001The launch of the Oysho lingerie chain. On 23 May 2001 Inditex goes public and is listed on the stock market. During this year theGroup expands into: Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Puerto Rico and Jordan.2002Work begins on the new Zara logistical centre in Zaragoza (Spain). The Group opens its first stores in Finland, Switzerland, El Salvador,Dominican Republic and Singapore.2003The opening of the first Zara Home stores, the eighth chain in the Group. Inditex inaugurates its second Zara distribution centre,Plataforma Europa, in Zaragoza (Spain), complementing the activity of the Arteixo logistical centre (A Coruña, Spain). The first storesof the Inditex Group are opened in Slovenia, Slovakia, Russia and Malaysia.2004The Inditex Group opens store number 2,000 in Hong Kong, thereby reaching a presence in 50 countries in Europe, The Americas,Asia and Africa. In this year the first store also opens in Morocco, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Panama.2005The Group opens its first stores in Costa Rica, Monaco,Thailand,Philippines and Indonesia.2006 Mainland China, Tunisia and Serbia join the list of countries in which Inditex is present.16For more information:INDITEXCommunication and Institutional Relations Corporate Division+34 981 185 400comunicacion@inditex.comThis press dossier was updated on 21/03/2007press dossierINDITEX