Clothing retailer Zara's new store in Smith Haven Mall is part of mall's 'bold transformation'

Women’s clothing retailer Zara's expected opening of a new store at the Smith Haven Mall, which is getting a multimillion-dollar revamp, will be part of the mall's "bold transformation of the property," mall officials said.

Zara, which has locations at the Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City and Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station, will open its third store on Long Island, at Smith Haven, some time next year, mall officials said, but they did not give further details Wednesday.

The mall, which is owned by the Simon Property Group, referred further questions about the exact opening date to Zara. Simon also owns Roosevelt Field and Walt Whitman Shops.

Officials with Zara and its parent, Spain-based Inditex, did not respond to requests seeking comment.

“We’re excited to welcome Zara to Smith Haven Mall in 2026 as part of our bold transformation of the property,” Jillian Friello, director of marketing at Smith Haven Mall, said in a statement issued to Newsday on Wednesday.

“Zara’s impending arrival highlights the mall’s growing appeal to top-tier brands and reflects our continued investment in creating a vibrant, modern shopping destination,” Friello said.

Zara's expansion plans come as sales for the company slowed in the second quarter of the year, Jelena Sokolova, senior equity analyst with Morningstar, wrote in a recent analysis of the fast-fashion brand.

Zara has around 100 stores in the United States, according to Statista, a business data website that provides a wide set of market statistics for various industries.

Revenue growth for the year so far is 7.5%, compared with a 10.4% growth rate in 2024, according to Morningstar. In 2024, Inditex had total sales of approximately $42 billion.

The Lake Grove mall is slated to undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation, including the addition of new stores and restaurants as Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group focuses on investing in its second-tier mall properties.

The 1.2 million-square-foot Smith Haven Mall has more than 130 stores and was built in 1969. In 1995, Simon purchased the mall and in 2007, it completed a $75 million renovation.

Simon plans to invest $535 million redeveloping a group of its malls this year and next year, according to a company earnings report released in February.

Friello added that many of the changes the mall is making will begin this summer, including work on a new outdoor plaza scheduled to be completed next year.

In addition to Zara, Inditex owns brands Pull & Bear, Massimo and Oysho.

“We still see Inditex as a structural winner in a fragmented apparel industry thanks to the company's scale, agility, and strong execution,” Sokolova wrote.

Retail analyst Neil Saunders said similar to other fast-fashion companies, like competitor H&M, Zara has been impacted by U.S. tariffs in that consumer confidence and spending have dipped slightly amid economic uncertainty.

“They have been impacted a little so far, mostly from consumer uncertainty, which has damaged their growth,” Saunders said in an email. “The supply chain implications and effects are still filtering through.”

Despite those challenges, he said the company remains in strong position among its competitors.

“Zara is one of the success stories of fashion retail,” Saunders said, adding that the company’s price point for products and selections is appealing to more cost-conscious shoppers. “The other thing they do really well is constantly refreshing the range with new products and styles. This keeps people coming back and buying.”

While the company has relatively few stores in the United States when compared with other retailers like H&M, which has about 500 stores nationwide, according to Statista, Saunders said Zara has benefited from being selective.

“They are picky about locations and will generally only open stores where they know they can drive footfall and attract the fashion-conscious customer,” Saunders said.