Inditex, S.A.
Company History
Inditex History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1985 in Arteixo, Spain
When was Inditex founded?
Inditex was founded in 1985 in Arteixo, Spain by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera, making it 41 years old.
- Founded
- 1985
- Founding place
- Arteixo, Spain
- Founders
- Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera
- Headquarters today
- Arteixo, A Coruña, Spain
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1963–2026)
- Current CEO
- Óscar García Maceiras
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Business Origins |
| 1975 | First Zara Store |
| 1985 | Inditex Formed |
| 1988 | First Store Outside Spain |
| 2001 | Public Listing |
| 2001 | Inditex IPO |
| 2011 | Pablo Isla Becomes Chairman |
| 2021 | Óscar García Maceiras becomes CEO |
| 2022 | Marta Ortega Becomes Chair |
| 2023 | Exit From Russia |
| 2025 | ~$45.1B (€39.9B) FY2025 Sales |
| 2026 | H1 2026 Sales Reach ~$22.4B (€19.8B) |
- Where was Inditex founded?
- Inditex was founded in Arteixo, Spain in 1985. wikidata.org
- Who founded Inditex?
- Inditex was founded by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera.
- When did Inditex start?
- Inditex was founded in 1985.
- How old is Inditex?
- Inditex is 41 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Amancio Ortega, the son of a railway worker, started as a shop assistant for shirtmakers in A Coruña. In 1963 he and Rosalía Mera set up Confecciones GOA, a small workshop making quilted dressing gowns and lingerie for other retailers. In 1975 they opened the first Zara store in A Coruña to sell their own production directly. Inditex was formed as a holding company in 1985, Zara opened abroad in Porto in 1988, New York in 1989 and Paris in 1990, and the group listed on the Madrid stock exchange in May 2001.
Founders
Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega (born 1936 in Busdongo de Arbás, León) is the founder and controlling shareholder of Inditex. After working as a shirtmaker's delivery boy and shop assistant in A Coruña, he co-founded Confecciones GOA in 1963 and opened the first Zara store in 1975. He served as chairman until 2011 and remains the group's largest shareholder through Pontegadea, which also holds a large international real estate portfolio. He is consistently ranked among the world's richest people. Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936. He is regarded as a pioneer of fast fashion. Amancio Ortega was born in 1936.
Rosalía Mera
Rosalía Mera (1944-2013) co-founded the business with Amancio Ortega, sewing and producing the early dressing gowns and lingerie of Confecciones GOA and helping launch Zara in 1975. After the couple divorced she remained a significant Inditex shareholder and founded the Paideia Galiza Foundation, which supports social inclusion and people with disabilities. Rosalia Mera Goyenechea was born on January 28, 1944 and died on August 15, 2013. She co-founded the Zara chain in 1975 with her then husband, Amancio Ortega. At her death she was the richest woman in Spain. Rosalía Mera was born in 1944.
Key Milestones
Business Origins
Amancio Ortega and Rosalia Mera began the apparel business that later became Inditex.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgInditex Formed
Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. was created as the holding company for the expanding retail group.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFirst Store Outside Spain
Zara opened its first international store in Porto, Portugal, followed by New York in 1989 and Paris in 1990.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPablo Isla Becomes Chairman
Pablo Isla succeeded founder Amancio Ortega as chairman of Inditex in July 2011.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgÓscar García Maceiras becomes CEO
Óscar García Maceiras became CEO of Inditex in 2021. Under his tenure annual sales rose from ~$31.3 billion (€27.7 billion) (FY2021) to ~$45.1 billion (€39.9 billion) (FY2025) and net profit from ~$3.62 billion (€3.2 billion) to ~$7.01 billion (€6.2 billion).
Source: inditex.comMarta Ortega Becomes Chair
Marta Ortega Pérez became chair, reinforcing founding-family stewardship.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgExit From Russia
Inditex agreed to sell its Russian business to the UAE-based Daher Group after suspending operations there in 2022.
Source: en.wikipedia.org~$45.1B (€39.9B) FY2025 Sales
Inditex reported ~$45 billion (€39.864 billion) in FY2025 sales (+3.2%, +7.0% in constant currency) and ~$7.03 billion (€6.220 billion) in net profit (+6.0%).
Source: inditex.comH1 2026 Sales Reach ~$22.4B (€19.8B)
Interim results on 9 September 2026 showed sales up 7.6% to ~$22.4 billion (€19.8 billion), gross margin of 58.7% and net profit up 6.8% to about $3.39 billion (€3.0 billion).
Source: inditex.comMajor Acquisitions
Massimo Dutti
1991Inditex bought a stake in Massimo Dutti in 1991 and took full ownership in 1995, adding a higher-priced, more classic menswear brand that later expanded into womenswear.
Stradivarius
1999Inditex acquired Stradivarius in 1999, adding a young women's fashion brand that sits alongside Bershka and Pull&Bear.
Massimo Dutti
1991Expand into upscale, classic menswear and womenswear (65% stake acquired in 1991, 100% by 1996).
Stradivarius
1999Target younger womens fashion market.
Keep researching Inditex
Inditex Company History FAQ
What are the historic milestones in the evolution of Inditex from 1963 to today?
Key milestones include founding Confecciones GOA (1963), first Zara store in A Coruña (1975), creating Inditex holding (1985), first international store in Porto (1988), landmark Madrid IPO (2001), surpassing Gap as world's largest apparel retailer (2008), full global RFID deployment (2016), and Marta Ortega becoming Chair (2022).
When did Zara begin its international expansion outside of Spain?
Zara opened its first international store in Porto, Portugal in 1988, followed by New York City (Lexington Avenue) in 1989 and Paris (Rue de Rivoli) in 1990, proving that its fast-fashion concept resonated across diverse global fashion capitals.
Why was the 2001 Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Inditex historic on the Spanish stock exchange?
Inditex listed on the Madrid stock exchange in May 2001, a large IPO that made Amancio Ortega one of Spain's richest people.
How did Inditex become the world's #1 fashion retailer ahead of Gap and H&M in 2008?
In 2008, Inditex officially overtook American rival Gap Inc. in total annual revenues to become the world's largest clothing retailer, driven by rapid international store openings and agile supply chain logistics.
How did Inditex pioneer global e-commerce with the launch of Zara.com in 2010?
In September 2010, Zara launched its online store in major European markets, expanding e-commerce to the US and Japan in 2011. Inditex uniquely integrated online stock with physical stores, enabling frictionless omni-channel shopping across 200+ territories.
How did Inditex start?
Inditex was founded in 1975 in Arteixo, Spain, by Amancio Ortega and his wife Rosalía Mera. Ortega started as a small dressmaker in the 1960s, selling quilted bathrobes. He brilliantly realized that the traditional fashion industry (which took six months to design and ship clothes) was deeply inefficient. He opened the first Zara store in 1975 to instantly sell cheap copies of current runway trends.
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