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Zara Founder Ortega triples investment in energy assets

Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, December 13, 2022. (Reuters)
Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, December 13, 2022. (Reuters)
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Zara Founder Ortega triples investment in energy assets

Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, December 13, 2022. (Reuters)
Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, December 13, 2022. (Reuters)

Zara founder Amancio Ortega's investment firm Pontegadea almost tripled its investments in renewable energy projects last year, building on its push to diversify the Spanish billionaire's fortune beyond his fashion empire and real estate.

According to 2023 financial statements filed with the Mercantile Register and seen by Reuters, the family office of the main owner of Zara mother company Inditex poured 693 million euros ($766.87 million) into wind, solar and other energy assets in Spain and France, up from 273 million in 2022.

The bet on renewable energy comes at a time when Inditex itself has set new targets to reduce its environmental impact by 2030 and respond to regulatory pressures.

Pontegadea said it will not provide additional information about its annual reports.

For years, Ortega's family firm has favoured real estate to invest the hefty returns of its core fashion business, buying logistics centres used by large global companies, such as Fedex and Amazon, luxury buildings in the United States and Europe, as well as offices and stores.

Ortega controls 59.29% of Inditex capital trough Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler Participaciones, and his family office received 2.2 billion euros worth of Inditex dividends in 2023.

Ortega's investment vehicle bought logistics centres and buildings in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 2023, continuing to build a property portfolio that exceeded 13 billion euros, according to the filings.

Pontegadea also invests in real estate assets worldwide through other firms and received at least 548 million euros from rents in 2023, 17% more than a year earlier.

It reported a list of minority stakes in 13 energy assets at the end of 2023, most of them in Spain after signing several deals with energy firm Repsol to buy stakes in wind and solar farms.

It also has minority holdings in three French wind energy parks in the Montagne d'Ardéche, Taillades Sud and Champagne Picarde areas.

In 2022, Pontegadea bought a 5% stake in Spanish gas grid operator Enagas and its hydrogen and renewables unit Enagas Renovable.

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Fashion

Nike's New CEO Plans to Go Back to Basics in Brand Overhaul Effort

The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
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Nike's New CEO Plans to Go Back to Basics in Brand Overhaul Effort

The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)
The Nike swoosh logo is seen outside the store on 5th Ave in New York, New York, US, March 19, 2019. (Reuters)

Nike's new CEO Elliott Hill warned of a long road to sales recovery for the sportswear giant, but the veteran executive's plan to turn the spotlight on sports like basketball and running, allayed some investor worries.

The company said on Thursday it was expecting third-quarter revenue to drop to low double digits after the embattled sportswear seller's quarterly results beat market estimates.

Hill, in his first public address as CEO on the post-earnings call, said Nike had "lost its obsession with sport" and vowed to put it back on track by refocusing on sport and selling more items at premium prices, Reuters reported.

"The recovery is going to be a multi-year process, but he(Hill) seems to be going back to the roots, back to Nike being Nike," said John Nagle, chief investment officer at Kavar Capital Partners, which owns Nike shares.

"(Hill plans to shift focus) away from some of the streetwear and fashion that had taken over the brand, the heavy discounting and the neglect of retailers. Just taking it back to what worked," Nagle said.

Hill, who was with Nike for more than three decades, returned as CEO in October to revive demand at the firm that has been struggling with strategy missteps that soured its relations with retailers such as Foot Locker.

Earlier this month, Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon said Hill was "taking the right actions for the brand" and the retailer was "working closely" with Nike to emphasize newer sportswear styles, including Vomero and Air DT Max.

"(The retailers) they want us to get back to being Nike, and they want us to have the unrelenting flow of innovative products... and they want us to get back to delivering bold brand statements that help drive traffic," Hill said.

The company's market share dwindled as rival brands, including Roger Federer-backed On and Deckers' Hoka , lured consumers with fresher and more innovative styles.

Hill also highlighted that a lack of newness led Nike to become too promotional and said he plans to shift to selling more at full price on its website and app.

"With another half year of franchise management coupled with investment to reinvigorate the brand, we believe the next four quarters could be the worst of the margin erosion and earnings per share reductions," Barclays analyst Adrienne Yih said.

At least seven brokerages cut price targets on the stock with some analysts pointing to the lack of a clear timeline for Nike to return to growth.

Shares of Nike, which have lost about half of its value in the last three years, were down nearly about 2% in early trading on Friday.

Nike's forward price-to-earnings ratio for the next 12 months, a benchmark for valuing stocks, was 27.53, compared with 33.47 for Deckers and 32.32 for Adidas.

"A rudderless ship now has a rudder, and a sailor who knows how to drive it," said Eric Clark, portfolio manager at the Rational Dynamic Brands fund that owns Nike shares.