A Fashion Lover's Guide To Madrid's El Corte Ingls

El Corte Inglés, whose name translates as “the English cut”, is Madrid’s only true department store, and an irresistable destination for fashion lovers. Discover fascinating history of the store and the luxury fashion brands you can find there.

History

The store started out in 1890 as a small tailoring shop. In 1935 César Rodríguez González and Ramón Areces bought the store and began its expansion. Little by little, the tailoring shop began selling more and more different goods, until eventually it had grown into a 22,000-square-foot (2,000-square-meter) department store spanning five floors.

As the brand grew bigger, it began to open in other locations throughout Spain. El Corte Inglés became Spain’s only department store in 1995 when they bought out their rival, Galerías Preciados. In 2001, the shop opened additional locations in Portugal. Today, the brand has over 82 stores, serves more than 630 million shoppers each year and is the biggest department store chain in Europe.

The El Corte Inglés flagship store is located on Calle de Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, near the Nuevos Ministerios metro stop. The complex is enormous and offers everything under the sun, including books, electronics, home goods, hardware, groceries, makeup and sporting goods. It also houses the best collection of fashion brands under one roof to be found anywhere in Spain; a true treasure trove for those seeking the latest fashions from the newest and most stylish labels.

El Corte Inglés Flagship Store, Calle de Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, 79, 28003 Madrid +34 914 18 88 00

Designers

Designer boutiques within this flagship branch include Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Armani, Armani Jeans, Armani Collezioni, Gucci, Loewe, Dockers, Ralph Lauren, Bulgari, Dior, Dior Homme, Georges Rech, Versace, Hugo Boss, Boss Woman, Ermenegildo Zegna, Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce&Gabbana, Burberry, Façonnable, Pal Zileri, Paul & Shark, Lacoste, Pavillon Christofle, CH by Carolina Herrera, Escada Sport, James Purdey and Sons, Lloyd’s, Purificación Garcia, Calvin Klein, Caroll Paris, Amitie and Episode. There are also private label store brands such as Emidio Tucci, Dustin and more.

Other Brands

The brand also owns several external brands, such as El Corte Inglés Viajes, Hipercor, Supercor and Sfera. With locations all over the city of Madrid, you can’t go very far without spotting El Corte Inglés. Time to go shopping!

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.