Popular fast-fashion brand Zara to debut in Winnipeg By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 4:52 PM CDT Wednesday, Jun. 21, 2023 Last Modified: 8:49 AM CDT Thursday, Jun. 22, 2023 Updates

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This article was published 21/06/2023 (1203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

International fashion brand Zara is coming to Winnipeg.

“We’re just freaking out,” said Bea Laya, who stopped by CF Polo Park Wednesday.

Laya had heard the multibillion-dollar company was hiring in Winnipeg. Her friend saw job listings online and informed her — both are Zara diehards.

The company recently began posting job openings for a Polo Park location.

“We are looking forward to meeting the talent in Winnipeg,” reads the Zara listing on the Indeed job site.

The company would not answer questions about when, or precisely where it will open.

“At the moment, we do not have further information,” a Zara spokesperson wrote in an email. “We would recommend to reconnect in the coming months.”

Requests to CF Polo Park were unanswered.

Canadian cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton have Zara stores. The company is based in Spain and belongs to Inditex, which is among the world’s largest distribution groups and has more than 5,800 stores across its brands, Inditex’s website states.

“It’s surprising that Zara has not been here,” said Kiran Pedada, a University of Manitoba marketing professor. “I think it’s long overdue.”

Fashion brands such as Aritzia and H&M have been successful in Winnipeg, Pedada noted.

“We are looking forward to meeting the talent in Winnipeg.”–Zara listing on Indeed

Last September, Aritzia moved into a larger storefront at CF Polo Park, tripled its space and added a café.

Zara’s job postings don’t explicitly say the new shop will open in the mall. It will be in the Polo Park area, it highlights.

Location is important, Pedada said. Zara requires younger consumers, such as millennials, who crave novelty, he added.

“(Zara has) been known for bringing new styles to market, especially in very short time (periods),” Pedada said.

The nimbleness has contributed to the growth of the brand, which began in 1975.

Today, it sells women’s, men’s and children’s attire. A women’s blazer might cost $100; men’s jeans could cost $50 or $80.

Several people the Free Press spoke to at CF Polo Park expressed excitement about the incoming store.

Cambree Rigaux stated she “definitely” will shop at Zara once it opens — it’s been a stop for her in Toronto and Minneapolis.

“I’m sure I’ll check it out. I love the new clothing stores. I love the options and variety.”–Chelyta Paquette

Chelyta Paquette had vaguely heard about the brand.

“I’m sure I’ll check it out,” she said. “I love the new clothing stores. I love the options and variety.”

Kelley Main, a University of Manitoba marketing professor, said plenty of research is done before any decision is made about a store opening.

“It must be something about the fit between the target market that they’re pursuing and the kind of market demographics that we have here in Winnipeg,” Main said.

Corporations consider competition and examine whether competitors have left the area.

Zara has online job postings for a Polo Park department manager and sales associates.

Inditex, Zara’s parent company, tracked C$47 billion in sales last year. Zara, Zara Home, Pull&Bear and Massimo Dutti are among the brands under Inditex’s umbrella.

Zara and Zara Home’s sales accounted for more than C$ 33 billion of Inditex’s sales in 2022, Inditex says on its website.

Rosalie Mera, who co-founded Zara in 1975, had a net worth of US$6.1 billion and was the wealthiest self-made woman in the world when she died in 2013, Forbes Magazine reported.

Princess of Wales Kate Middleton and actress Selena Gomez have been photographed wearing Zara clothing.

Pedada said the brand, which is considered fast-fashion, would do well to focus on sustainability because that’s what young consumers increasingly want.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com