Zara's Ukraine comeback: Inditex, the parent company of Zara, has announced its plans to gradually reopen its stores in Ukraine starting from April 1. This decision comes as a response to the evolving circumstances in the local market. Initially, 20 stores, including three Zara outlets, will resume operations around the Kyiv region, alongside the relaunch of online sales.

Ensuring the safety of both employees and customers remains the top priority for the company, as stated in their recent announcement, confirming earlier reports from the Financial Times. Inditex shut down its stores in both Russia and Ukraine in March 2022 following a "special military operation" by Moscow in Ukraine.

In 2019, the group operated 72 stores in Ukraine and 558 in Russia, as detailed in its annual report. While the fashion giant agreed to sell its Russian stores to the UAE-based Daher Group in 2022, it hasn't ruled out the possibility of returning to the country in the future, depending on changing circumstances.

Inditex aims to reopen a total of 50 stores in Ukraine in the coming months, although the exact timeframe for this process has not been specified. Notably, one of its competitors, H&M, began reopening its Ukrainian stores in November last year and currently operates seven outlets in Kyiv and Lviv.

(With Reuters Inputs)