#Retail & Brands
Zara opens the doors of its flagship store in Hong Kong
The new establishment, which shares Zara's global store concept and interior design features with the chain's flagship stores in other prominent cities such as New York, London, Paris or Madrid, is located on Queen's Road, Hong Kong's major economic artery and currently the hub of the financial and commercial activity which characterises this greatcity's Central district.
The store, with a floor area stretching 55,000 square feet over six stories, occupies the historical Crawford House, a unique period building which bears the hallmarks of the Chinese renaissance. In the 1930s it was home to China Emporium Ltd., one of the greatest department stores of the era and the only one founded by local entrepreneurs.
Originally built using a fusion of architectural styles, the building reflected the West's influence on Asian design: the body of the building was built using reinforced concrete while the towers and roof tiles were made from traditional Chinese materials. Its privileged location has made this property a sought-after commercial location from its construction through to today.
The essence of the Queen's Road establishment is based on the four core principles which inspire the Zara global store concept: beauty, clarity, functionality and sustainability.
The store as a whole prioritises contact with the customer. Its simplicity, accentuated by the presence of large white spaces which blur the limits between the ceiling and walls, creates a sensation of openness and freedom. The new store concept, dominated by a neutral and elegant palette, confers prominence on the collections and their uncluttered displays whose furniture textures evoke fabrics such as linen and silk.
Moreover, the store marks a new milestone in terms of the Group's sustainability commitments, crystallised in the Sustainable Inditex 2011-2015 Plan, by incorporating all the green-building criteria of Inditex's eco-efficient stores. The result is a store that consumes 30% less energy per annum than a conventional store, saves 70% more water and prevents the emission of over 150 tonnes of GHG every year.
The new Queen's Road establishment brings the total number of Zara stores in Hong Kong, the first Chinese city penetrated by the brand back in 2004, to 12. Between all its retail formats, Inditex operates 28 stores in the city. In all of China, the Group has a total of 457 stores.
