Zara Case Study

Q1. With which of the international competitors listed in the case is it most interesting to compare Inditex’s financial results? Why? What do comparisons indicate about Inditex’s relative operating economics? Ans. The four companies shown given in the case have very different business models. Inditex owned much of the production and most of its stores. Inditex is thus a vertically integrated company. This gave Inditex a competitive advantage, which is quick response to the market requirements. On the other hand, The Gap and H&M have a different business model. They owned most of the stores, but outsourced all the production. And Benetton had a third business model. It invested heavily in the production, but licensees ran its stores. To prove Zara has the prospect of sustainable growth in the international apparel market, it is important to understand and compare the financial differences of Inditex, its parent company, and its major competitor. The most interesting of Zara’s competitors for comparison is Hennes and Mauritz (H&M), who as the case study states, “was considered Inditex’s closest competitor, [with] a number of key differences”. H&M differs from Zara because they outsource all of their production, spend more money on advertising, and is price-oriented. The key similarities for comparison between Zara and H&M are that they are European based companies, are fashion forward at lower price retailers, and have a strong international expansion strategy . Just looking at Exhibit 5 from the case it is easy to see that their financial status is are comparable. Their net operating revenues are closer to each other than that of Benneton or the Gap, as is their net income. The best way of comparing Inditex and H&M’s financials is by using ratios and not merely a visual assessment of the financial statements given. The current ratio shows that for every euro in short-term debt, Inditex has 1.02 million euros in current assets. H&M however, has 3.40 million