Meet Carlos Crespo, Zara CEO

Sophie Cole, writer

Published at 12/04/2019, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 7 min

Meet Carlos Crespo, Zara CEO — Photo © zara-logo.jpg

In this article, we’re going to dive into Zara’s new CEO, Carlos Crespo’s past. We’ll examine how the company’s structure works day to day and highlight some of the most exciting franchise opportunities in the sector.

As one of the world’s most popular fashion brands, it’s not surprising that everyone wants to know more about Zara’s CEO. Loved by everyone from royalty and fashion bloggers to your coolest friend, the Spanish fashion brand has taken the world by storm, generating a whopping £602 million in sales in the UK alone during 2018. But who is the person at the very top of the popular retailer? Let’s learn a bit more about Carlos Crespo and find out how his leadership is changing the group …

Who is Zara’s CEO, Carlos Crespo?

Carlos Crespo is a Spanish businessman who has recently been promoted to CEO of the fashion firm. Crespo has worked for Zara’s parent group, Inditex, since 2001 and was rewarded for almost two decades of service with promotion to the top spot in May 2019. He has worked at one of the world’s largest accounting firms, Arthur Anderson, before joining Inditex which cemented his strong background in finance and management.

When Crespo first joined Inditex he was part of the financial department. The following years saw him take charge of managing the group’s vast logistics centre and in 2005, the ambitious businessman took charge of the group-wide internal audit processes.

In 2018, he was appointed to the role of General Director of Operations and became Crespo was chosen by Pablo Isla, previously the man in charge of the group, to take on the role of CEO. It was a natural choice, as Crespo was already acting as his second in command and was considered a safe pair of hands across the group.

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How will Carlos Crespo change Zara?

Many business analysts have noted that Crespo’s appointment marks a shift for Zara, and all other brands owned by Inditex, as it moves into its so-called ‘third era’. The group’s first CEO, Jose Maria Castellano, helped the group to grow and enter the stock market. Crespo’s predecessor Pablo Isla, who remains the group’s executive president, moulded the group into the number one fashion distribution company in the world.

Now, Crespo is tasked with making sure that group is able to remain successful and profitable despite the threat of e-commerce and changes in shoppers’ habits across the globe. Other executives in the group have called Crespo ‘discreet’ and ‘low profile’ but have also praised his ability to make tricky decisions about the group’s future without hesitation.

He’s likely to have plenty of respect from other senior staff within the group, having spent almost 20 years of his career rising up the ranks and learning the ways of Inditex from the inside out.

What is Zara?

Zara is a popular Spanish brand that was founded by billionaire Amancio Ortega, who is the sixth richest man in the world, in 1975. The brand quickly made an impact on its domestic market, opening nine stores in the country’s largest cities. By 1985, Inditex was incorporated as the holding company of Zara, allowing it to tighten up its company structure and make it adaptive enough to keep up with the rapid pace of fashion’s shifting tastes.

Inditex now owns and operates seven fashion brands catering to different corners of the market, including Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius and Pull & Bear. Its global portfolio now encompasses more than 7,400 stores in 202 countries.

Zara is known for its fashionable, affordable and good quality clothes that let normal men and women keep up with high-fashion trends for a fraction of the price. It’s been reported that Zara can take new collections from conception to stores in less than two weeks. Designs are reportedly only allowed to be sold for a maximum of four weeks and limited numbers of each item are produced to create demand through scarcity.

Did you know? Zara can take a new collection from just an idea to its stores in less than two weeks.

Does Zara franchise?

Unfortunately not. Zara doesn’t currently have a UK franchise model, despite the presence of franchised stores in other countries. It also doesn’t seem to have any plans to change this any time soon, so UK-based entrepreneurs won’t be able to join the successful fashion brand for the foreseeable future.

However, if you’re interested in making fashion your business, there are lots of other attractive franchise opportunities right here at Point Franchise. Read on to learn more about them.

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Other franchise opportunities in the fashion sector

Noa Noa

Bring the spirit of the Bohemian woman to your local high street with a Noa Noa franchise. This sustainable fashion franchise retails clothes that are made with the intention of representing strong women and allowing customers to feel like their true selves. In a world of fast-fashion, Noa Noa prides itself on offering a collection that will stand the test of time. Its clothes feature great attention to detail and striking colour contrasts.

All clothing collections are designed in Denmark and produced across the world, making Noa Noa a brand with the potential to go global. It’s a proud member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative and makes sure it operates ethically. Since it was founded in 1981, Noa Noa has opened more than 90 concept stores and can be found in over 350 multi-brand stores across the globe.

Becoming a Noa Noa franchisee: Noa Noa is looking for people with previous experience in the fashion industry to help expand the business. So, whether you’ve run your own company or worked in a managerial role in another store, Noa Noa want to hear from you.
How much you need to invest: You’ll need to be prepared to invest at least £40,000 to get your store up and running.
What you get for your investment: Franchisees will also be able to access guidance and support whenever they need it. As part of the initial set-up process, store designer Christian Baumann will spend three days at each new location to ensure everything goes to plan. And to make sure your store is dressed to impress, visual merchandiser Satijana Blazeska will create stunning displays ready for your grand opening. What’s more, you’ll also be able to access marketing materials, training for your staff, as well as seasonal materials throughout the year.

Zip Yard

Want to make your living within the clothing world but aren’t keen on selling them to the general public? Clothing franchise(/our-franchises/S2-clothing-franchises) Zip Yard could be the ideal fit for you. Each of its alteration boutiques pride themselves on a strict 48-hour turnaround for small jobs such as fixing hems or adjusting jackets. Even larger jobs are returned as quickly as possible to minimise customer inconvenience.

Since it was founded in 2005, Zip Yard has become the UK’s fastest growing alteration company. Founder Don Wallace was inspired to start the business after he was made to wait a week for a simple dropped hem on his best business suit to be fixed, causing him a great deal of inconvenience. He realised that there was a gap in the market for a speedy service that minimised waits for busy businesspeople.

Becoming a Zip Yard franchisee: Zip Yard is now on the hunt for new franchisees who can help it continue the fast pace of its expansion and enter new towns and cities across the country. If you love clothing or alterations or want to run a business in this potentially lucrative sector, Zip Yard wants to hear from you. Find out more here.
How much you need to invest: If you’d like to invest in the franchise, you’ll need to fund a minimum investment of £38,500 and make sure you’ve got enough working capital to see you through the business’ launch.
What you get for your investment: You don’t need any experience in either retail or alterations to join the franchise, as you’ll undergo its extensive suite of training before your grand opening. This includes everything from marketing support to software training and staff recruitment, as well as all the furniture you need to get started.

Should I join a fashion franchise?

If you’re a lover of the latest trends and want to turn your passion into your income, now’s the ideal time to start your very own fashion franchise. Get your very own slice of the UK’s £32 billion fashion industry with one of our exciting fashion franchises, or browse our directory to find the ideal opportunity for you across loads of fascinating sectors.