Product range. Focused on basic clothing and footwear, but also offer creative replicas of catwalk pieces. Kid lines are as diverse as those targeting adults: from baby basics line and school uniforms to special occasion dresses to sportswear and accessories. It's quite telling that a number of pieces from teenager collections might appeal to some adults as well. Moreover, H&M are the only major retailer to sell maternity wear, besides the usual assortment of clothing and footwear for men, women, teenagers and kids.
Originality. Ikea stores were conceived based on the assumption that you don’t need to be rich to appreciate good design. H&M is the Ikea of the fashion world. What's more, H&M were the first mass-market retailer to have collaborated with a high fashion house. The first project of this kind was carried out together with Chanel. The collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld proved a success and inspired to launch capsule collections by other high-profile designers: think Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Sonia Rykiel, Matthew Williamson, Marni, and Maison Martin Margiela. The news of every new collaboration spreads like wildfire with the collections selling out in a flash.
Chic. Lives up to the expectations.
Pricing. Jörgen Andersson, a former global marketing director at H&M, recapitulated the company's pricing strategy as follows: We're driven by the objective to make people less reluctant to come to an H&M store just to buy a new top for the party tonight. They are unlikely to mull over whether it's worth buying a $10 piece, it's a no-brainer to be sure. The price is so ridiculous that you can donate the top the next day to your local Salvation Army if you're willing to, since it cost you less that a couple of glasses of wine.
Corporate history highlights. Erling Persson, the company founder, opened his first store in 1947. He had been inspired by a US trip when he learned about the then novel kind of ready-to-wear boutique unknown to Europe. By the way, H&M stands for Hennes & Mauritz.
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