Rosalia Mera who co-founded of one the world’s largest retail giants Inditex has died at the age of 69.

Mera suffered a stroke while holidaying on the island of Menorca in Spain.

Releasing a statement about her death, Inditex said: “The group wishes to send its sincere condolences to her loved ones and friends at this extremely difficult time, after the loss of a person who contributed so much to the origins and development of the company.”

The Inditex empire is mostly known for introducing fashion chain Zara to the world, which now has nearly 2,000 stores around the world, and pioneering the concept of introducing new stock to its stores every two weeks.