Spanish textile titan Inditex, owner of global fashion retailer Zara, posted Tuesday a higher than expected net profit in its third quarter as sales recovered from the disruption caused by the pandemic.

The group, which also owns the Bershka and Massimo Dutti brands, recorded a net profit of 866 million euros ($1.05 billion) in the three months from August to October, a 26 percent drop from the same time last year.

Spanish global clothing giant Inditex, owner of fast-fashion brand Zara, announced Wednesday a rare fall in quarterly profits even as it pushed ahead with an aggressive international expansion.

Inditex, created 40 years ago in the northwestern Galicia region by railwayman's son Amancio Ortega, said net profit fell 7.3 percent from the same period a year earlier to 406 million euros ($550 million) in the three months to April 30.