For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Julie Lin
212.645.6900 ext. 145
julie@jerichopr.com
H&M, EUROPE’S LEADING FASHION RETAILER OPENS
MIDWEST FLAGSHIP ON NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE

(Chicago) H&M will open its Midwest flagship store in Chicago on September 12, 2003 at 840 North Michigan Avenue. H&M has loyal fans around the world and hundreds of people waited in line for the opening of the H&M stores in New York and Boston. The same type of excitement is expected at the Chicago store opening.

The 35,000 square foot store will offer three levels of fashion for men, women, teens, and children. Concepts will include plus size, maternity and baby clothes, as well as lingerie and accessories. The open and spacious store architecture will allow shoppers to browse through merchandise created by H&M’s 95 in-house designers. Each H&M store features a wide range of retail from fashion basics to designs at the forefront of the very latest international trends. The Chicago H&M store will receive updated deliveries of new styles on a daily basis.

“The Magnificent Mile is an important fashion destination,” stated Karen Belva, director of Public Relations, H&M. “We are excited to introduce H&M into Chicago’s cosmopolitan atmosphere.”

H&M will officially open its doors to the public on September 12, 2003 at noon. The first 100 shoppers in line on grand opening day will receive an exclusive H&M t-shirt. Store hours are Monday -- Saturday, 10am to 8 pm and Sunday, 11am – 7pm. Telephone for the store is 312-640-0060. H&M will also open a store at the Woodfield Shopping Center within two weeks of the Chicago opening.

To celebrate the grand opening of the store, H&M anticipates hosting over 600 guests at a private preview party. Ten percent of proceeds from the evening’s party will benefit Gen Art – the leading national arts organization dedicated to showcasing the best in emerging talent in film, fashion, music and the visual arts.

About H&M
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 60 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.