H&M to Open 400 Stores in 2015

<p>Swedish fashion retailer H&amp;M reported an earnings increase of 12% and sales increase of 17% for its fourth quarter, greatly attributed to its expansion in the United States and China. The quickly growing company had opened 379 stores last year &ndash; more than one per day &ndash; and has no plans of slowing down, with another 400 locations slated to open this year. The majority of the new stores will be located in the U.S. and China, but also dabble in new markets including India, South Africa, Peru, Taiwan and Macau.<br /> <br /> Known for its fashionable, low-price collections for mainstream consumers, H&amp;M now has more than 3,500 stores worldwide, and 132,000 employees. The retailer will also expand its e-commerce sales this year &ndash; last year it debuted its online store to customers in France, Italy, Spain, and China.<br /> <br /> Karl-Johan Persson, CEO, H&amp;M said, &ldquo;These openings, combined with further improvements in our online store, have naturally contributed to the year’s good sales development.&rdquo; <br /> <br /> He also noted that the online store will be rolled out in nine more countries in 2015: Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland.</p>