FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Julie Lin
(212) 645-6900 x145
julie@jerichopr.com
TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT
to Benefit a Worthy Cause at the Grand Opening Celebration
of H&M at Arundel Mills Mall

Hanover, MD, February 12, 2003 -- 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 the first Maryland H&M store at The Arundel Mills Mall (7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD), the old saying, “Give ‘em the shirt off your back” is being put to the test. On Friday, February 28 at Noon when the new H&M store officially opens, the first 100 shoppers in line 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 on opening day.

The shirts received from shoppers at the grand opening celebration will be laundered and donated to benefit a Gifts in Kind affiliated charity in need, the House of Ruth. The House of Ruth helps women, children and families heal from abuse and provides a
comprehensive array of housing, services and support in nurturing environments.

“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, this program is a natural fit to help dress people in need, as well as work together with the community to benefit a local worthy cause.”

H&M has a team of 95 in-house designers and receives deliveries of new fashion styles daily. With a total of 47 U.S. stores opened since 2000 (including H&M at The Arundel Mills Mall), this new 20,000 square foot H&M store offers high quality, affordable fashion and accessories for women, men and children. H&M store hours are Monday-Saturday,
10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.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 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 47 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.

Gifts In Kind International (www.giftsinkind.org), is the world's leading charity in product philanthropy and the 7th largest charity in the United States. Its network of 350-plus affiliates provides nonprofits access to more than $700 million annually in product and service donations. Gifts In Kind International operates at less than 1 percent of the fair market value of products donated, making it one of the most cost-efficient charities in the world.