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

ON SEPTEMBER 20 H& M WILL ASK YOU TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR DEDICATION TO HELPING OTHERS…
TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT

At the Grand Opening Celebration of Two New H&M Stores,
Shoppers Get a Chance to Give the Shirt Right Off their Back to Benefit The United Way of Greater Rochester

It’s one thing to give a person a quarter as you walk down the street, but it’s a completely different thing to take the shirt that you are wearing right off your back and give it to someone who really needs it.

At the grand opening celebration of two new H&M stores, one in The Eastview Mall (7979 Victor Pittsford Road, Victor NY) and one at Greece Ridge center (271 Greece Ridge Center, Rochester NY) the old saying, “Give ‘em the shirt off your back” is being put to the test. On Friday, September 20 at Noon when the two new H&M stores officially open their doors, the first 100 shoppers in line at each store that take off their shirt will receive a free H&M t-shirt (so they won’t go home topless), as well as 20% off the purchase of a new H&M shirt. The shirts received from shoppers at both grand opening celebrations will be laundered and donated to the United Way of Rochester, an organization of donors committed to making the greater Rochester area a better place to live.

“All year round H&M provides people with clothing that fits their personality,” said Karen Belva, public relations manager at H&M. “As a company that is in the business of dressing people with style, we thought it was a natural fit to develop a program that would help dress people in need, as well as work together with the local communities in the area to benefit this worthy cause.”

H&M has a team of 80 in-house designers and receives deliveries of new fashion styles daily. With a total of 41 U.S. stores opened since 2000, the new 16,000 square foot H&M stores in The Eastview Mall and the Greece Ridge Center will offer high quality, affordable fashion and accessories to women, teens and children. H&M store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

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 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 41 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.

About United Way of Greater Rocheser / Gifts In Kind International
The United Way of Rochester (www.uwayroch.org) invests in and activates the resources to make the greatest possible impact in the greater Rochester area. It is an affiliate of Gifts In Kind International, the world's leading charity in product philanthropy and the 7th largest charity in the United States. For more information visit www.giftsinkind.org.