Spanish clothing brand Zara will open a shop in Singapore’s Changi Airport in May.

The new store, in Terminal 3, is part of a broader plan by Singapore Zara franchisee, Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group, to ramp up the Zara brand’s retail offer in the city state.

In the same month, Al-Futtaim Group will reopen the brand’s store in Ion Orchard, in the heart of the Orchard Rd shopping strip, after an extensive renovation and expansion.

The Zara expansion plan was outlined in concert with revelation of plans to refocus the Robinsons and Marks & Spencer operations in Singapore, as reported by Inside Retail Asia. Al-Futtaim Group also has Royal Sporting House in its retail brand portfolio.

The company plans to open the first stand-alone Royal Sporting House Junior store at Suntec City in May, ranging footwear for those aged between six and 12.

Kesri Kapur, head of the Al-Futtaim Group’s Asian business said the changes were about reacting to “the ever-evolving retail landscape” in Singapore.

He said the relevancy of the mall space had to be balanced with the brand profile, shoppers’ consumption patterns and increasing competition as well as Singapore’s labour shortage, so the business “stayed relevant in the retail market”.