India: Spanish textiles firm Inditex Group has said it will open an e-commerce store for the Zara brand later this week. Inditex’s CEO and deputy chairman Pablo Isla has defined the launch as “an important strategic step.”

The launch will include Spain, France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Portugal with the company saying it will be followed by a progressive rollout in all Zara markets. South Korea, Japan and United States will be among the countries to which this service will be extended in 2011, Inditex said.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Inditex considers that internet is becoming more and more a relevant sales channel for the apparel sector and this is the right time for Zara to enter the e-commerce.”

Interest in the launch has already built up, with Zara’s official Facebook page having more than 4.4 million fans. Zara Home started online sales in 2007 in 15 European countries.

The company refused to comment on forecasts that online sales of Zara’s fashion unit could be worth two billion euros per year.

Source: http://www.aepcindia.com/international.asp?id= 354&yr= 2010