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After eight years of its operation, Zara has closed its famous 5-storey outlet in Fort Area, South Mumbai. This Spanish fashion brand located in the heritage Ismail Building extended to 51,300 square feet is the largest store in India. The shop notice on its doors announced the effective closure of this store on February 23, 2025 though no official reason was provided regarding it.
Opened in 2017, the Zara store in the Fort area constituted the only stand alone outlet for the brand in Mumbai unlike its other locations in shopping malls. At the time the store was celebrated as Zara’s largest in the country. The lease was reputedly one of the largest ever closed in India for a fashion brand with an annual rent of Rs30 crore.
This decision to shutter signifies a shift in Zara’s retail strategy. While the closure of the Mumbai store signifies a major change, Zara still has three other outlets buzzing in the Mumbai area such as Phoenix Market City in Kurla, Phoenix Palladium located in Lower Parel and Viviana Mall in Thane. Indeed these locations could be cheaper than the flagship but they still provide similar fashion forward offerings in line with the brand.
ZARA SRPLS. DROP II NOW AVAILABLE https://t.co/IA7TYVGEfe pic.twitter.com/Kjm79KJrkg
— ZARA (@ZARA) April 25, 2024
The closing of the Fort Store is just a part of a global trend in which many brands are reassessing their physical stores and concentrating more on the online channel.
