For Immediate Release
Contact: Whitney Tremaine
212/645-6900 x121
whitney@jerichopr.com

H&M OPENS ITS DOORS IN HARLEM AND
FILLS THE HALLS OF A LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH MUSIC

H&M Partners with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
at Its Grand Opening

When Europe’s leading fashion retailer, H&M, was looking to open a new store in the New York area – all signs seemed to point uptown…to Harlem. With its rich history of fashion design and trends, this community was a perfect fit for the home of the 40th H&M U.S. store.

On Friday, September 6 at noon, when the doors of the new H&M store in Harlem (125 West 125th Street) open, shoppers will receive an exclusive H&M Harlem t-shirt (while supplies last) when they make a donation to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools. All donations collected at the H&M grand opening will directly benefit the music education program at PS 125M/The Ralph Bunche School located at 425 West 123rd Street.

“H&M is committed to the community of Harlem, which has a rich history in the culture of fashion, music and food,” explained Karen Belva, public relations manager for H&M. “We plan to play an active role to help sustain the cultural renaissance in Harlem. We are looking forward to working together with the community at our grand opening and help to make a difference in the lives of elementary school students with music.”

"Last spring, VH1 Save The Music announced its commitment to restore the music education programs in all public elementary schools in West Harlem," said Bob Morrison, Executive Director, VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "We're very pleased to receive help in this goal from H&M, which is showing right out of the gate that its more than just a store -- it's a good neighbor that wants to be a vibrant part of the community."

H&M Harlem’s store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am-9pm and Sunday, 11am-7pm. The 19,000 square foot store will feature two levels of high quality, affordable fashion and accessories for women, teens, children and infants, as well as maternity wear, a plus-size line and lingerie. H&M has a team of 80 in-house designers and receives deliveries of new fashion styles daily.

In addition to a ceremonial ribbon cutting with city and community leaders at the noon grand opening, H&M will feature special opening offers and free giveaways from H&M and VH1 Save The Music Foundation. In celebration of the H&M Harlem grand opening, DJs from WWPR-FM Power 105.1 will be spinning records from opening day through Sunday to help share the message about the importance of music in young people’s lives. Other H&M New York City stores include Fifth Avenue at 51st Street, 34th Street at Herald Square and SoHo at Broadway and Prince Street.

H&M is Europe’s leading fashion retailer offering fashion and quality at the best price. Marketing its own brand of clothing for women, men, teens, and kids, H&M sells more than 500 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 40 U.S. stores, primarily in the Northeast region, and globally has more than 800 stores in 14 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.

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America's public schools by restoring music programs in cities across the country, and raising awareness about the importance of music participation for our nation's youth. Through partnerships with affiliates, celebrities and advocates, as well as corporate and national sponsors, VH1 Save The Music conducts awareness campaigns, musical instrument drives and fundraising events in conjunction with public schools to help restore instrumental music programs. VH1 Save The Music's ten-year plan is to bring music participation to one million children in public schools. For more information go to http://www.vh1save the music.com