Zara to open storefront on Tmall.com

Inditex, world's largest fashion retailer and parent company of Zara, has announced plans to open a digital storefront on Chinese

marketplace Tmall.com, in a bid to strengthen its brand's position in the country.

Owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which previously announced plans for an IPO in the USA, Tmall offers online local language storefronts to retailers. UK retailers who currently have stores on Tmall include Asos, Marks & Spencers and Burberry.

Zara revealed on Wednesday that it aims to launch on Tmall in time for its Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, whilst maintaining its own local online store. In 2012, Inditex opened its own online store for Zara in order to connect with local shoppers in smaller tier cities without a physical store.

Chief Executive Officer at Inditex, Pablo Isla, explained to analysts the Tmall model should allow the company to oversee its brands image in China. “It is nothing different to online sales through our own webpage,” he said to Reuters. “It is like opening a store in a shopping mall, so ... it's very, very consistent with our image.”

Inditex currently has an e-commerce presence in 25 countries and aims to open online stores for Zara in South Korea and Mexico in September.