Foreign Ministry confirms Zara, other fashion brands to return to Ukraine
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry announced on March 8 that Spanish Inditex, a multinational clothing company, is preparing to reopen its stores in Ukraine following the two-year closure amid Russia's full-scale invasion.
The statement came after the Financial Times’s reports about the plans of Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Uterque, Oysho, and Massimo Dutti brands owner to resume work of some stores in Kyiv as soon as early April.
The Ukrainian ministry did not reveal specific dates for the reopening.
According to FT, Inditex said that it was planning to reopen 50 of its 84 stores in Ukraine, while the stores in the country’s south and east close to the war’s front lines would remain shut.
“The return of large international companies to the Ukrainian market creates new workplaces, provides them with access to quality goods and services, and supports Ukraine's economy,” the ministry's statement read.
The Foreign Ministry said it continued to work to restore international business in Ukraine and bring in new companies in order to “deepen the country’s integration into the global economy.”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in October 2023 that bringing back major brands to Ukraine that closed up shop following Russia’s all-out war has been “one of the goals of Ukrainian diplomacy” and “one of the most anticipated decisions for Ukrainians.”
Other major retailers that have re-opened since the start of the full-scale invasion include McDonald’s, Danish jeweler Pandora, and French cosmetics firm Yves Rocher, among others.
H&M reopened shops in Ukraine in November 2023. The Swedish fashion retailer first opened in Kyiv in August 2018 and closed due to the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Robin Brooks
