{"id":61209,"date":"2026-10-29T10:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesauditimes.net\/en\/?p=61209"},"modified":"2026-10-29T10:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:23:05","slug":"h-and-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesauditimes.net\/en\/h-and-m\/","title":{"rendered":"H&M Group: the Swedish fashion retailer and what it sells worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB, known as H&M Group, is a Swedish fashion retailer that sells clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products under several brands, led by the H&M chain. It is listed on the Stockholm stock exchange and runs more than 4,000 stores.<\/p>\n

The group matters to the fashion trade because of its size and its model of in-house design with outside production. In its 2025 financial year it reported net sales of about SEK 228 billion and a higher operating profit as it worked to improve margins under chief executive Daniel Erv\u00e9r.<\/p>\n

\"H&M
An H&M flagship store in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Wpcpey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overview and Founding<\/h3>\n

The business began in 1947 when Erling Persson opened a womenswear shop in V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden, called Hennes, the Swedish word for “hers”. A Stockholm store followed in 1952.<\/p>\n

In 1968 the company bought Mauritz Widforss, a retailer of hunting equipment, took the name Hennes & Mauritz and added menswear and clothing for kids. International growth started the next year in Norway, followed by Denmark, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The first stores in Germany and the Netherlands opened in the 1980s, and by 1985 the chain had about 200 stores.<\/p>\n

Stefan Persson<\/a> became chief executive in 1982 and later chaired the board from 1998 to 2020. Under him the chain spread across Europe, entered the United States in 2000 and moved from one brand to nine.<\/p>\n

Key Milestones<\/h3>\n