What’s really going on? Zara shutters 60 stores worldwide despite strong sales

Zara hasn’t made a big announcement about it, but behind the scenes, a lot has been changing.Over the past year, the Spanish fast-fashion giant has quietly pulled the shutters down on dozens of its stores across the world.

Between October 2024 and October this year, around 60 Zara outlets were closed, according to Inditex’s latest financial report for 2025.

And yet, during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, the topic barely came up.Inditex CEO Óscar García Maceiras didn’t directly address the store closures at all. Instead, he struck an upbeat note, saying the group was pleased with how Zara and its other brands were performing.

In short, business is good, even with fewer stores, as reported by The Independent.

The company hasn’t shared exactly where these closures happened or why specific locations were shut. But there was one clue. Inditex revealed that some Zara stores were closed as part of a strategy shift, especially to make room for standalone Zara Man outlets. One such change is already underway in Osaka, Japan, where an existing Zara store is being converted into a dedicated Zara Man space.

Maceiras hinted that this is part of a larger plan. Rather than spreading thin, the brand wants a stronger presence in prime locations and is also eyeing new cities and markets. Fewer stores, but bigger, more focused ones.Still, the timing hasn’t gone unnoticed. Zara’s store shake-up comes as fast fashion faces growing pushback, especially over its environmental cost. Studies have repeatedly flagged how much waste the industry creates.

Consulting firm McKinsey has pointed out that nearly three out of every five garments produced globally end up either in landfills or incinerators.That reality is hitting home for younger shoppers. Millennials and Gen Z consumers are becoming far more aware of sustainability issues, and many see fashion as a major contributor to climate change. The idea of endless buying and discarding no longer sits comfortably with them.

Despite all this, Inditex’s numbers suggest Zara is far from struggling. As the company entered the fourth quarter of its 2025–26 financial year, sales were on the rise. Between November 1 and December 1, combined in-store and online sales across Inditex brands - including Zara, Zara Man and Zara Home, grew by over 10%.So while Zara’s physical footprint may be shrinking, its business momentum hasn’t slowed. The brand seems to be trimming, reshaping, and quietly adapting to a fashion world that’s changing fast.