Shopping is no longer just a matter of choosing a garment and checking out. Now you can see the items as if it were an exhibition, relax over a coffee and use the most sophisticated forms of technology to reserve and pay for the items.
“El apartamento” is Zara’ s new store at 23 Serrano Street in Madrid and aims to transform the shopping experience. After three months of renovation, it reopens its doors with more than 2,500 square meters, five floors and a design in which fashion and architecture go hand in hand.
The concept of home
This new store is designed as if it were a house, where the customer can walk through the different rooms and find Zara and Zara Home products. In fact, limited editions, previews of upcoming collections and vintage pieces are included, adding a touch of exclusivity.
This is not the first time that Inditex has used this concept, as it has already done so in its Zara stores in A Coruña, on Compostela Street, and in Paris, in the 7th arrondissement of Saint-Germain-Des-Près.
The environment recreates a luxury experience and, as the multinational explained to Europa Press, they have sought “a renewed image and new product display areas”. Particularly noteworthy are the boutique-style spaces, with carefully chosen furnishings to highlight the collections.
Architectural tribute
The design of the building itself is also fundamental, using natural materials, soft light and large windows to create a cozy atmosphere. The Elsa Urquijo Arquitectos studio has been in charge of the renovation, in which they have combined the memory of the historic building with a contemporary reinterpretation.
“Our intention is to create a space with time, not only through materials, textures or volumes, but understanding time as the key language in which fashion makes sense,” explains the studio itself on its website.
In this way, they have built a new store that combines wood, iron and ceramics with natural fabrics and modern finishes. They have sought a timeless architecture in which fashion can always be integrated without any problem.
The tour of the store begins on a sophisticated first floor and continues with warmer and brighter atmospheres on the upper floors. In addition, on the 4th floor there is a cafeteria service in collaboration with Balbisiana, which adds an extra touch to the experience.
Buy, return and recycle
Zara’s “El apartamento” has 230 employees and state-of-the-art technology to make shopping easier. It is no longer only possible to interact with the products physically in the store, but also to consult the available stock in real time from the application.
At the same time, four automated stations have been included for assisted returns and another two automatic points for online returns. This is the first time they have been installed in the Community of Madrid and their aim is to make shopping more fluid.
In addition, they have created an automated system with a capacity of up to 1560 packages that allows online purchases to be picked up. To make it more sustainable and encourage recycling, they have set up a cardboard collection point, a used clothing collection container and a repair service. The latter is complemented by the Zara Pre-Owned platform, which allows selling second-hand Zara items.