Swedish retailer moving into San Francisco Sarah Duxbury
H&M is following its usual pattern.
The Swedish fashion retailer likes to enter a new region and blanket it in a short time with scads of new stores. Next week, it will open its first two San Francisco stores -- the first west of the Mall of America in the suburbs of Minneapolis.
The 150 Powell St. location will be a West Coast flagship, with 35,000 square feet of retail space. In a building with a historic facade, that project has been in the works for over a year.
Several blocks away, at 150 Post St., H&M will open a smaller, 10,000-square-foot location on the same day, Nov. 19. That lease was signed just two months ago.
"We felt like we wanted to make an impact and state: 'We're coming to San Francisco,'" said Lisa Sandberg, a spokeswoman for H&M. "Opening these on the same day was a good way of saying here we are."
The smaller store will feature fashions for adult and young women. The flagship will also feature men's items and cosmetics. Both stores will sell lingerie.
The Powell Street store will eventually employ 164, and the Post Street store will employ 43.
Other H&M stores are likely to come soon, with the company looking for new locations throughout California. A contract has been signed to open a store at Concord's Sun Valley Mall next spring. And rumors are circulating that H&M is looking to have a third location in San Francisco when the new Westfield San Francisco Shopping Center opens next Fall.
Union Square is quickly becoming home to fashion-forward, low-cost retailers. H&M will have two locations. Forever 21 recently opened its doors to capture the youth market, and Zara International also has trendy, cost-conscious shoppers lining up.
I work on that friday and can't get it off If I drive up after work and get there just before it closes friday 11/19 do you think anything will be left? Do they restock when they run out?
I think I'm seriously going to die if I don't get my hands on one of those zip down sweater dresses.
are they going to have the stella stuff in the store on the 19th? because it's hitting the other locations on the 10th...just curious if you guys know for sure that they will be getting it in (it's only in selected stores).
are they going to have the stella stuff in the store on the 19th? because it's hitting the other locations on the 10th...just curious if you guys know for sure that they will be getting it in (it's only in selected stores).
in the article that carmenb posted, they said that the stella line will debut on 11/19 in both SF stores. yippee!!!!!