Massimo Dutti to open Grafton Street store before Christmas

The world's biggest clothing group, Spain's Inditex, is to open a Massimo Dutti store before Christmas in the former HMV outlet on Dublin's Grafton Street following the completion of legal contracts with the landlords.

The group is planning to spend about €3 million on fitting out the shop which has around 1,254sq m (13,500sq ft) of retail space at ground, basement and first floor levels. It is one of a small number of stores on the street with large floorplates – the others are Brown Thomas, M&S, BT2 and River Island.

The owners of the store at 65/66 Grafton Street dropped the rent from €1.7 million to €865,000 to attract Zara’s sister brand, Massimo Dutti, whose fashions for men and women are based on classic designs for daily and formal clothes.

The company has taken a 10-year lease of the building which is 60 per cent owned by the Irish Property Unit Trust and the balance by Aviva.

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Inditex is now the dominant player in the fast fashion industry – it has more than 6,000 outlets in 86 countries – and reported net profits up 22 per cent last year to €2.36 billion.

Simon Cooper of Savills handled the letting while CBRE advised Inditex.

Jack Fagan

Jack Fagan

Jack Fagan is the former commercial-property editor of The Irish Times