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H&M International company history timeline

1968

These two goals were fulfilled with the purchase, in 1968, of Mauritz Widforss, a hunting and gun shop on Stockholm's Sergelgatan.

1973

Seeking further growth, the company made a new acquisition in 1973, buying up fellow Swedish company Beklädnadskompaniet.

1974

The company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1974.

1976

Shortly after, in 1976, the first store outside Scandinavia opened in London.

1980

In 1980 H&M launched its first German store.

1997

Finland was the next market to be tapped, in 1997; the following year, France became the company's new frontier.

1998

In 1998, however, chief architect of the company's expansion Stefan Persson was named the company's executive chairman.

1999

Nonetheless, in April 1999, the company announced its intention to enter the Spanish market by the end of the year, with two or three as a start.

Spain was added to the list in 1999, with the proposed opening of three stores.

2000

The opening of its first United States store on 31 March 2000 on Fifth Avenue in New York City marked the start of its expansion outside of Europe.

2006

In November 2006, the company launched a collection by Stella McCartney.

2007

Working with Maxis in June 2007, H&M created a stuff pack for the game developers' The Sims 2 computer game, H&M Fashion Stuff.

In 2007, H&M and Kylie Minogue launched a design in Shanghai, China.

2008

In 2008, the company announced in a press release that it would begin selling home furnishings.

In addition to fashion, H&M has also entered the division in the decoration and home appliances sector under the name H&M Home which was opened in 2008.

2009

On 14 November 2009, the company released a limited-edition diffusion collection by Jimmy Choo featuring handbags and shoes for men and women, with prices ranging from £30 to £170.

2011

In March 2011, the brand's clothing was featured in an interactive fashion art film by Imagine Fashion called "Decadent Control," starring Roberto Cavalli, Kirsty Hume, Eva Herzigová and Brad Kroenig.

H&M announced a collaboration with Versace in June 2011 that was later released on November 19.

H&M announced a collaboration with Marni in November 2011.

2013

In September 2013, the retailer opened its 3000th store in Chengdu, China.

2014

In April 2014, H&M joined Zara and other apparel companies in changing their supply chain to avoid endangered forests.

The H&M Foundation, a nonprofit, was established in 2014 to fund projects that improve humanitarian and environmental issues within the fashion industry.

2015

The collection was released on 5 November 2015.

2016

In June 2016, SumOfUs launched a campaign to pressure H&M to honor the commitment they made and signed to protect Bangladesh's garment workers.

2017

Swedish singer Zara Larsson designed a "playful, young, empowering and little glamorous" collection with H&M in February 2017.

2019

With the idea of reviving the spirit of the swinging sixties, H&M collaborated with designer Richard Allan in July 2019.

2020

In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute accused at least 82 major brands, including H&M, of being connected to forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang.

He became one of the richest people in Sweden with a net worth of 17.9 billion USD in 2020 according to Forbes magazine.

2021

On 26 March 2021, the United States condemned the China-backed boycotts, with its Department of Commerce stating that the United States "has taken strong actions to stop China from profiting off of its human-rights abuses in Xinjiang and to stop imports of products made with forced labor in China."

Actress Maisie Williams joined the brand as a global sustainability ambassador in April 2021.

2022

Along with hundreds of other global companies, H&M announced on 2 March 2022, an end to retail operations of its more than 150 stores in the Russian Federation, as a result of that country's invasion of Ukraine.

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Founded
1968
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Headquarters
Iselin, NJ
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H&M International may also be known as or be related to H & M International Transportation Inc, H&M International, H&M International Transportation and H&M International Transportation, Inc.