Zara opens 51,000 sq ft flagship store at Birmingham's Bullring

Zara has opened the doors to a shiny new 51,000 sq ft store at Birmingham's Bullring & Grand Central shopping centre. This marks the completion of repurposing the former Debenhams department store.

Bringing its latest store concept to Birmingham, Zara showcases its full range of womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear across two floors.

The interior design is uber minimalist, from its signposting to its displays, and features automated collection and returns points to deliver a seamless customer experience.

This latest move is in line with Zara's global flagship store strategy, which sees it focusing its store roll-out on fewer, larger, tech-enabled stores in prime retail locations. Earlier this year, the brand also announced a major upsize of its store at Liverpool ONE.

In September, ZARA owner Inditex reported a 7.2% increase in sales to £15.2 billion (€18.1 billion) for the first half ending 31 July, thanks to the "design and quality" of its fashion proposition.

The new store opening comes less than a year after the opening of fellow Inditex brands, Bershka and Pull&Bear, at the Hammerson-owned shopping centre.

But the store openings at Bullring & Grand Central don't stop there. In the last six weeks alone, LVMH-owned Sephora made its West Midlands debut on Bullring’s upper level and the Korean beauty store Puresoul joined the centre's line-up. Meanwhile, YouTube sensations, The Sidemen, opened its second-ever SDMN Clothing store in mid-October.

Toby Tait, Director of Asset Management at Hammerson, commented: "Zara’s upsize is the latest step in the implementation of our strategy to best-in-class spaces for global brands seeking a flagship presence in destinations that out-perform.

"The impact on visitors is immense, with Bullring & Grand Central’s evolving line-up increasing footfall and sales, driving customer loyalty and generating significant positive feedback. In turn, that is stimulating even greater demand from brands to make similarly significant commitments."