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The closure of iconic fashion stores is always a significant event. After the announcement of the closure of several Zara stores, it is now Bershka which is following the same path. A decision that leaves a bitter taste.
New strategy
A few months ago, we learned, through different media, the closure of several Zara stores in France. The Inditex group, which owns the brand, indicated that this was not a decision they had taken lightly.
Indeed, it was a strategy to reduce operating costs and improve the customer experience that motivated this decision. By focusing on larger, more modern stores, Inditex aims to offer superior service.
But that's not all. One of the main motivations behind these closures is the group's desire to focus more on online commerce.
To have
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Indeed, since the COVID-19 pandemic, customers have become increasingly adept at online shopping. Today, at Zara, everything can be done in just a few clicks. No more going to the store to get the items. Finally, there is no longer any need for stores altogether.
Following in the footsteps of Zara, Bershka, another flagship brand of the Inditex group, has decided to close its doors. This decision, although surprising, is part of a logic similar to that of Zara.
The closure of Bershka in Saint-Nazaire, after Zara
It was on July 24, 2024, through an official press release from the city, that the bad news emerged.
“Discreetly, the fashion and fast-fashion giant, parent company of Zara, denounces its lease and closes its four stores located at the Ruban Bleu shopping center in Saint-Nazaire. Concretely, in December 2024 or January 2025, the Zara, Bershka, Pull and Bear and Stradivarius stores will have disappeared, along with their employees' jobs. »
This decision, taken by the fashion giant, leaves a bitter taste. These shops, places of shopping for thousands of Nazairians, will be nothing more than a memory.
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With them, they are also the jobs of many employees who evaporateplunging them into professional uncertainty.
David Samzun, the mayor of Saint-Nazaire, does not hide his disappointment or his anger. He underlines the contrast between the efforts made by the municipality to revitalize the city center and this brutal announcement.
“In conjunction with traders and restaurateurs, work has been carried out for many months to strengthen the recreational and friendly spirit of the heart of the city; and in total contempt, large groups focus solely on their profits without focusing on their social responsibility towards their employees and their customers! »he explains.
A new store in Nantes
In Angoulême, it is a similar scenario. The Pull and Bear and Bershka brands at the Champ-de-Mars gallery will go out of business in 2025just like Zara which also announced its closure in this center.
However, for fashion lovers, all is not lost. Indeed, Bershka has just opened a new store in Nantes, at the Atlantis shopping center. Apparently, in this store, everything is designed to satisfy customers eager for something new.
