Zara and the Apparel Supply Chain

Zara is a multibiUion dollar Spanish company with stores all over the world. Zara owns large sections of the apparel supply chain and manages the entire chain to speed up innovation and product availability. One secret to Zara s success is the constant flow of customer requests and information from stores to the design studios. In turn, Zara generates a constant flow of product from plants to stores, even at the expense of retiring products for which there is demand. 

Zara represents a new generation of supply chains in the apparel industry. The following anecdote regarding Zara says it all  

When Madonna went on tour in Spain in early 2001, she started in Madrid and ended in Barcelona ten days later. The fashion that teenagers picked up from Madonna s outfits was developed, manufactured, and available in stores in Barcelona by the time 

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