Zara parent Inditex is said to be embarking on a major expansion plan for its low-price label Lefties to arm itself against competition from fast-fashion rivals.
Lefties is said to be an important part of the Spanish fashion group’s strategy to strengthen its affordable ranges, reports news platform Reuters. The brand’s current growth reflects the group’s mission to better establish itself in the low-cost market.
Lefties initially started as an outlet for Zara surplus items but has now expanded to more than 17 countries, including Romania, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and its home country of Spain, where Lefties currently operates 25 stores.
The Lefties boost is said to be a response to Shein’s rise in the region, where the Chinese retailer’s number of customers rose from 421,000 five years ago to 5.2 million in 2023, according to Kantar figures seen by Reuters is.
Meanwhile, Lefties has around five million customers in 2023, more than sister brand Zara and a significant increase from around 3.5 million customers in 2019.
Additionally, its presence in several emerging markets suggests that Inditex’s strategy is aimed at targeting customers who are not willing to pay for Zara, Swetha Ramachandran, portfolio manager at Inditex investor Artemis Fund Managers, told the media outlet .
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.com