H&M's Ambitious Plans for Japan

With twelve successful stores currently in Japan, fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz plans on more than doubling their retails doors to thirty by the end of 2012. Boasting the highest sales globally per square meter in Japan, H&M sees a significant benefit in sales and business growth to increasing their stores as well as potentially introducing new brands to Japan.

With stores currently in Shibuya, Haraujuku, Ginza and more, H&M will open their next stores in Fukuoka, Osaka and Fujisawa by the end of this year. Moving forward H&M will focus their store openings in suburban shopping malls and the ever competitive train stations as well as their traditional geographic target of urban shopping locations with a focus on the Kansai area.

Since H&M entered Japan three years ago their retail doors as their sales have steadily grown. For the fiscal year ending 2010 H&M posted 21.5 billion yen in sales.

H&M was established in 1948 by Erlin Persson in Sweden.

Fun Fact: At the time H&M was established it only sold women’s RTW and was named only “Hennes” which is Swedish for “Hers”.

Information Hennes & Mauritz AB & Nikkei