El Corte Inglés Rebrands Data Center Unit as Kumo Networks, Pivots to Managed Cloud Services
January 15, 2026
In a strategic move to capitalize on the growing demand for specialized digital infrastructure, Spanish retail giant El Corte Inglés has relaunched its data center subsidiary under the new brand Kumo Networks. The rebranding signals a significant shift from traditional colocation hosting towards a focus on managed private cloud services, business continuity, and digital resilience solutions, positioning the company to compete more directly in the evolving enterprise IT services market.
The newly formed Kumo Networks is built upon the Spanish assets of a former joint venture with Mexican operator Kio Networks. El Corte Inglés completed the full acquisition of Kio's 50 percent stake in the venture in 2024, taking sole ownership of the operations. The subsidiary's foundation comprises two Spanish facilities. The first is an existing data center in Murcia, located on the Espinardo University Campus. This facility, launched in 2014, spans 172 square meters (1,850 square feet) with a power capacity of 193kW across a single data hall.
A second, larger site is currently under development in Paterna, Valencia. Construction on this 1,000 square meter (10,760 square foot) facility began in 2023, representing a substantial expansion of the company's physical footprint and capacity.
The choice of the name "Kumo," which means "cloud" in Japanese, directly reflects the company's refined strategic direction. Kumo Networks aims to transition from primarily offering infrastructure and hosting to providing more comprehensive managed private cloud services and critical IT solutions tailored for businesses and public sector agencies. This pivot aligns with broader industry trends where enterprises seek partners that can offer not just space and power, but also value-added services for complex digital transformation and hybrid cloud strategies.
For El Corte Inglés, a department store group founded in 1940 and one of the largest in Europe, this move represents a deepening commitment to its technology divisions. By transforming its data center holdings into a focused, service-oriented brand, the company is leveraging its infrastructure to create a new, recurring revenue stream in the high-growth digital services sector, while also enhancing the resilience of its own extensive retail operations.
Source: datacenterdynamics
