For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C.
August 13, 2003
EUROPE’S LEADING FASHION RETAILER OPENS
SECOND STORE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
H&M Proudly Opens in the Historic Woodward & Lothrop Building

Washington, D.C. – On August 29th at noon, H&M will open its second store in the nation’s capitol at the historic Woodward & Lothrop building. Located at 1025 F Street in downtown Washington, D.C., the new 23,000 square foot store will feature two levels of high quality, affordable fashion and accessories for women, men and children, including maternity wear and lingerie. H&M has been warmly received by fellow retail neighbors, community members and local officials, and is looking forward to participating in the revitalization of downtown Washington, D.C.

“We are thrilled to become a part of the historical downtown D.C. Woodward & Lothrop building and hope to be an asset to the revitalization movement in this business community,” said Karen Belva, public relations manager for H&M. “With our second store in the area, H&M’s high-quality, affordable fashions are the perfect fit for style conscious Washingtonians.”

To kick-off H&M’s official store opening a ceremonial ribbon cutting will be conducted just before noon with Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams and Kent Beaver, manager of the new H&M store.

"We've been working strategically since 1999 to reenergize our downtown -- the rebirth of the Woodies building as a retail anchor and the home to H&M will help to turn this vision into reality," said Mayor Williams. "I am pleased that H&M has selected downtown D.C. as the site for its largest, full concept store in the mid-Atlantic. With H&M and our Downtown Retail Incentive program attracting new and unique retailers I think downtown will grow into one of the most exciting shopping destinations in the region."

The first 100 shoppers in line at the grand opening of the new H&M store will receive an exclusive H&M Washington, D.C. t-shirt. Plus, there will be special grand opening offers, free giveaways from H&M and music entertainment from local DJs. The new H&M store’s hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. This is H&M’s second store in Washington, D.C. The first opened in May 2003 at The Shops at Georgetown Park.

H&M is Europe’s leading fashion retailer offering fashion and quality at the best price. Marketing its own brand of clothing with a team of 95 in-house designers, H&M receives daily deliveries of new fashion styles and sells more than 600 million garments a year. H&M opened its first store in Sweden in 1947 and expanded with the first U.S. store on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2000. Today, H&M has 57 U.S. stores, primarily in the Northeast region, and globally has more than 875 stores in 17 countries. H&M has more than 30,000 employees all working to the same philosophy: to provide fashion and quality at the best price. To visit H&M’s web site please go to http://www.hm.com.

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Contact: Tara McNally
(212) 645-6900, ext. 115
tara@jerichopr.com