Following nearly two years of closure, retail giant Zara is ready to reopen many of its stores in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
The Spanish brand closed its 84 stores in Ukraine as well as its operations in Russia after the latter launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on 24 February 2022. The war has claimed more than 30,000 lives since.
Zara's owner Inditex told the FT that it will begin by gradually reopening its stores in Ukraine, first by relaunching 20 of its stores in Kyiv shopping centres and then by eventually swelling the number of operating shops to 50.
The brand's 34 remaining shops are located in areas directly affected by the war in south and east Ukraine, where the Ukrainian government has prohibited commercial operations.
The Spanish group insisted that the safety of employees and customers is its priority.
Inditex did not immediately respond to Euronews Business' request for comment.
The company is following in the footsteps of other brands, which initially suspended operations in both Russia and Ukraine following the outbreak of the war.
Zara's main rival H&M restarted operations in the country last November.
