Australians find Zara fits, pushing sales up 25pc RETAIL By Madeleine Heffernan Spanish clothing giant Zara has seen its Australian sales surge by almost 25 per cent in the past year, sending its profits soaring and allowing it to reward investors with $55 million in dividends. 
Zara sells clothing, footwear and accessories and is among the highest-profile international retailers to enter Australia in recent years.
The fast-fashion chain began trading in   April 2011, and employs more than 1100 employees in 15 stores.
Accounts lodged with the corporate regulator show Group Zara Australia's revenue rose by 24per cent to $222 million for the year ended 31   January 2016, thanks in part to two new stores, in Brisbane and Miranda, in NSW.
The Australian business reported a full-year profit of $15.26 million, up from $10.2 million the previous year. Earnings before interest and tax jumped to $23.6 million, from $15.5 million.
One rival said a 10 per cent return was good, but not great.
"They're better than the average apparel business, but not outstanding," the retail veteran said of the results. The accounts also appear to show Solomon Lew's son Peter Lew has halved his stake in Group Zara Australia, with Spain's Inditex Group increasing its stake in the business by 10 per cent to 90 per cent. Mr Lew remains a director.
Zara Holdings and Mr Lew's International Brand Management received $55 million in dividends in the 2016 financial year, from zero the year before.
By contrast, Swedish rival H&M Australia last reported a trebling in half-year sales to 500 million krona, or $78 million.
And Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo said yearly sales had jumped almost 300 per cent to $118.9 million although it remained unprofitable.