Zara, the flagship label of the Inditex group, stands out as the only Spanish brand in the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide, according to the Kantar BrandZ Global 2023 ranking.
Specifically, Marta Ortega leads the brand, which is positioned at 94th place with a brand valuation of 18,395 million dollars (16,829 million euros).
Ranking highlights put Apple at the top with a brand value of 880,455 million dollars (805,661 million euros), followed by Google at 577,683 million dollars (528,603 million euros) and Microsoft at 501,856 million dollars (464,154 million euros).
Behind these giants, the list of the world’s most valuable brands remains headed by Amazon, which slipped from its podium position to fourth, with McDonald’s at fifth, Visa sixth, Tencent seventh, Louis Vuitton eighth, MasterCard ninth, and Coca-Cola closing the top ten.
In 2023, about a quarter of the world’s most valuable brands hail from Asia, although only Tencent breaks into the top ten.
The year also saw a drag on value due to broader market dynamics that affected many technology companies, including widespread layoffs and the ongoing semiconductor challenges, among other factors.
big consumption
When looking at the most valuable consumer brands, Coca-Cola remains a veteran force while Nongfu Spring, the prominent Chinese bottled water brand, posted a valuation of 98 billion 800 million dollars, placing it second in the consumer category with 89 billion 800 million euros. Pepsi earned a valuation of 8 billion 826 million dollars (about 17,253 million euros) in third place.
Amancio Ortega expands his empire
Meanwhile, Amancio Ortega, the founder of Inditex, continues to expand his empire through Pontegadea, his investment arm. Reports indicate a luxury condo tower in Chicago was acquired for 232 million dollars (roughly 212 million euros), a transaction confirmed by sources familiar with the deal. The property, known for its 492 residences across 45 floors, was purchased from Ares Management and F&F Realty, per industry coverage. This acquisition marks another milestone in Ortega’s expansion into U.S. real estate.
The Chicago Business brief notes that this purchase represents the highest price paid for a downtown Chicago residential block since the pre-pandemic period.
Earlier, Pontegadea expanded its U.S. real estate portfolio with the Kiara Tower project in Seattle, a skyscraper comprising 461 luxury apartments acquired for 324 million dollars (about 305 million euros) at the end of the previous year.