Global retail giant Zara has announced an opening date for their first New Zealand store.

The fashion chain is set to open at their Sylvia Park, Auckland, location on October 6 at 9.30am. This is hot on the heels of competitor brand H&M, who is also opening their first New Zealand store five days earlier on October 1, also at Sylvia Park.

Unlike H&M, who has kept up a steady flow of hype since announcing their plans for a New Zealand launch in September 2015, Zara has remained relatively quiet about their roll out. Fans first identified the location when Zara unveiled its signage on a ground level store front in the Sylvia Park shopping complex.

The store will offer women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and new stock will arrive twice a week.

Zara is known the world over as a leading fashion giant with more than 2,000 stores in 88 countries. Sylvia Park developer Kiwi Property has invested $11.5 million to accommodate the Auckland flagship.

The opening of Zara and H&M follows other international retailers who recently launched into the New Zealand market including Chanel, Victoria’s Secret, French Connection and Topshop.