Perth to get two Zara stores
International fashion giant Zara will open two Perth stores before the end of the year and is understood to be scoping out the northern suburbs for a third site.
The Spanish retailer's announcement yesterday that its first store will be at Garden City in Booragoon by August comes amid big change for Perth's retail landscape.
A number of international companies including Topshop, 7-Eleven and Aldi are advanced in plans to establish in WA, while clothing chain H&M has revealed it is keeping a close eye on the Perth market.
A spokeswoman for H&M said the company saw potential for expansion in Perth.
Australia's first H&M store opened in Melbourne's GPO building in April.
Lease Equity director Fred Clohessy, who negotiated Zara's lease in Perth, said the chain's second store on Murray Street in the CBD was scheduled to open in October.
It will be next to the new Topshop store, also due to open in October.
Mr Clohessy said Zara was considering a third store if there was a big enough site.
"They'll open in the CBD, I would think they'd be looking in the northern suburbs. I would have thought their plans would be to have the south covered as well as the north," he said.
Mr Clohessy confirmed that other major international retailers were considering opening in Perth if big enough sites became available.
He said it was encouraging to see big retailers showing more interest in Perth.
"Most of them are normally larger sizes and they want to be in the malls, so to create space for them is quite a challenge," he said.
"You just need to look at the stores in Melbourne and Sydney and they're the ones eyeing off Perth at the moment."
Convenience store franchise 7-Eleven has finalised several locations in Perth and discount supermarket chain Aldi will open in 2016 with sites earmarked in Southern River, Cannington and Kwinana.
7-Eleven chief executive Warren Wilmot said a number of franchisees had registered interest in moving to WA.
Fans on social media celebrated Zara's pending arrival in WA with the two-storey Garden City store the 10th in Australia. "I'll be there opening day! Sold my soul over 7 years ago and been waiting ever since!" a Facebook user posted.
