What: El Corte Inglés is preparing a more ambitious investment plan as Cristina Álvarez prioritises stores, digital growth, AI and operational transformation.

Why it is important: The strategy reinforces the role of physical stores as experiential assets while positioning digital channels and AI as growth and personalisation engines.

El Corte Inglés will present an updated strategic plan in September, with a more ambitious investment programme focused on business growth, logistics and new technological capabilities. Cristina Álvarez outlined the direction at her first shareholders’ meeting as president, where she defended the physical store as a differentiating factor and an essential asset for connecting with customers. Álvarez described stores as experiential environments where human interaction, brand awareness and customer relationships are built beyond transactions. She also stressed the growing importance of the website and app as gateways for customer acquisition, digital experience and personalisation. AI will be used to personalise shopping, optimise product availability, streamline service and better interpret customer needs, while preserving the company’s human essence. Shareholders ratified Javier Catena as CEO, responsible for implementing the roadmap. The group enters this phase from a stronger financial position, with 2025-26 net profit up 22.8% to €628 million, EBITDA up 4.7% to €1.266 billion and debt reduced to 1.3 times EBITDA.

IADS Notes: El Corte Inglés’s updated strategic plan builds on a year of leadership renewal, stronger financial performance and renewed investment ambition. In April 2026, Modaes reported that Cristina Álvarez was shifting the group toward growth through acquisitions, increased investment, digital transformation, logistics and organisational renewal, supported by McKinsey and the existing €3 billion investment plan through 2030. That plan was first detailed by Modaes and Fashion Network in July 2025, when El Corte Inglés committed to store modernisation, business expansion, logistics and technological capabilities while maintaining strong financial performance. The group’s capacity to accelerate investment was reinforced by its June 2026 results, when a company press release reported double-digit profit growth, record-low debt, increased investment, digital transformation, store modernisation and logistics innovation. Modaes also reported in June 2026 that Javier Catena had returned as CEO to implement the updated strategic plan, with a focus on operational excellence, digital acceleration, logistics, real estate and business transformation. Earlier, in January 2026, Modaes noted that Álvarez had already strengthened digital, customer experience, operations and supply chain leadership while reorganising purchasing to improve category expertise and agility.

El Corte Inglés will present its updated strategic plan in September, with increased investment