H&M and Zara top the list of best brands in Europe

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Apr 8, 2014

In its fourth ranking of the best retail brands, Interbrand highlights the importance of the customer experience and omni-channel retailing in brand perception.

The ranking of the best brands in Europe has crowned H&M number one. Interbrand notes that the company has opened almost one store per day in 2013, continuing to offer fashion at an affordable price.

Zara follows in third place, while ASOS has made one of the biggest jumps in the ranking, becoming the first such e-tailer to report carbon-neutral production.

While remaining absent from the European ranking, Uniqlo, for its part, has taken 2nd place in the Asia-Pacific, displaying “model growth" according to Interbrand.

As for department stores, this year’s ranking highlights the weakness of players in mature markets, but also the growth they have encountered in developing markets. "Despite a certain reputation and a great deal of recognition, the traditional department store is tending to disappear" according to Interbrand. "The varying growth results (difficult in the United States and Europe, more favorable in markets such as Japan, Australia and Korea) indicate the necessity of renewing the model in order to reach new audiences."

Across the board, the strongest growth has been shown by the brands: Sephora (+20%), Auchan (+7%) and L'Occitane (+5%). At the European level, ASOS (+59%), John Lewis (+36%) and Waitrose (+32%), dominate the field.