The billionaire founder of Zara, Amancio Ortega, is set to receive a record €3.23 billion dividend from fashion giant Inditexthis year after the group reported strong trading performance.
The payout surpasses the €3.1 billion dividend Ortega received last year and reflects a four per cent increase in the company’s shareholder dividend following what Inditex described as a “robust operating performance” in 2025.
Ortega, who still controls roughly 59 per cent of the business, will receive the payment in two instalments in May and November alongside other shareholders.
His daughter, Marta Ortega Pérez, currently serves as chair of the group.
Strong results from the Zara owner
Inditex, which operates brands including Zara, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius and Oysho, reported sales of €39.9 billion for the year ending 31 January 2026, up 3.2 per cent year on year.
Pre-tax profit rose 5.8 per cent to €8 billion during the same period.
The retailer currently operates 5,460 stores across more than 90 countries and employs over 160,000 people globally.
While the group closed 103 stores over the past year, it continued its strategy of consolidating locations into larger, more productive outlets, resulting in an overall increase in total selling space.
Expansion plans and strong start to 2026
Inditex said it plans to increase store space by around five per cent in the coming year while continuing to invest in online growth.
Trading in the early part of the new financial year has also been positive, with sales up nine per cent between 1 February and 8 March, excluding currency impacts.
The group added that it has not yet experienced disruptions to its supply chain despite tensions in the Middle East, a key hub for air freight shipments from production markets such as Bangladesh.
Among its expansion plans, Inditex intends to launch its value-focused brand Lefties in the UK for the first time. It is also rolling out additional locations for The Apartment by Zara, a store concept combining premium fashion and homeware displayed in an environment styled like a luxury apartment.
New stores are also planned in the US, Norway and Denmark, alongside the retailer’s first location in Curaçao.
Alongside its physical expansion, Inditex has been investing in digital capabilities, recently launching an AI-powered virtual fitting system that allows online shoppers to create an avatar from their own photos and visualise clothing on a personalised model.
From small shop to global empire
Ortega, who turns 90 this month, founded Zara in 1975 in La Coruña, Spain, after beginning his career as a delivery boy at a local shirtmaker.
Despite his vast fortune, which is estimated at around $126.7 billion, Ortega is still known to visit Inditex’s headquarters regularly to meet with staff.
In recent years he has used much of his dividend income to fund major property acquisitions through his investment vehicle, including London’s The Post Building, New York’s Haughwout Building and the Southeast Financial Center in Miami.
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