Sweden’s fast fashion brand H&M eyes small town India growth

H&M is looking to expand in Tier II and III cities across India. The brand is seeing a growing demand for its apparel beyond metros. At present, almost 50 per cent of its store presence is in Tier II cities while the rest in metros. The Swedish retailer, which has 47 stores across the country, has aggressively expanded in India over the last five years. In 2019, H&M opened eight stores in India and tied up with Indian e-commerce platforms Myntra and Jabong to sell its products online apart from its own sites. Globally, 24 per cent of its sales comes through various e-commerce platforms. In the US H&M offers shopping for customers on Instagram. Something similar is planned for India as well. For the year ended November 30, H&M posted a 43 per cent jump in sales in India.

H&M is known for affordable and trendy fashion and is gearing up to sell its first Indian ethnic wear collection designed in partnership with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The collection will be available across all of H&M's global outlets as well as on its e-commerce platforms. The partnership also marks the celebrated Indian designer's entry into the mass category.