Swedish fashion chain opens 11th store in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) is finally in the Queen City of the South!

H&M opened its biggest store in the Philippines at the Ayala Center Cebu yesterday. This will be followed with the opening of another store at the SM Seaside City SRP on December 9.

Occupying three floors with a total of  3,800 square meters of space, H&M Ayala Center  is the 11th store  opened by the company since its entry to the Philippines in October last year.

It is a full concept store carrying ladies wear, men’s wear, kid’s wear, and home.  At the heart of the store’s display on its opening day is the brand’s stylish holiday campaign and a selection of gifts and fashion for the season.

Apart from Cebu, the company is also looking to expand in other parts of the country.

“We are looking at the major cities in the Philippines with appropriate location,”  said Fredrik Famm, H&M country manager for South East Asia.

The modern retail market in the Philippines is one of the main factors why the brand is considering the country as an interesting site for expansion in South East Asia, he said.

The growing 100 million population in the Philippines  is also a major draw for international brands like H&M to invest in the country, he added.

In the ASEAN region, H&M is also growing in terms of store presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

With its promising retail outlook, the Philippines joins H&M’s  fast growing locations in the world.

Aside from its competitive pricing, and varied offerings, H&M boasts of its strength in fashion, quality, and sustainability.

Just like its other stores,  H&M will also feature its Garment Collecting initiative in Cebu, where customers can donate their used clothes and get a discount voucher to use for their next purchase.

H&M was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on Nasdaq, Stockholm. The Group  has a total of six brands – H&M, And Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday – along with home interiors at H&M Home.

It has 3,900 stores in 57 markets with over a hundred thousand employees worldwide.  (FREEMAN)