Nov 27, 2019
H&M plans over 100 store openings in India but finds business environment challenging
Nov 27, 2019
Swedish fast-fashion brand H&M plans to open over 100 stores in India moving forward, but has seen expansion slow, due to what it sees as a challenging business environment in the country.
"Most probably we will see opening 100-plus stores in india, but what is the time span I don't know,” H&M’s India country manager, Janne Einola, told Indo-Asian News Service on November 26.
“The outlook, we thought it would grow faster as per the potential, but what is making slow is the local regulations, which is very costly, taking lot of time and is putting your expansion on bit slow mode."
On the sidelines of the recent Retailers Association of India event, Einola called the situation in India “challenging” due to business registration, trade licenses and other “small things”.
However, Einola said that he was hopeful the situation will improve as the Indian government considers amending its local-sourcing norms in its foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations.
H&M has a total of 45 stores in India and most recently opened in Dehradun. The brand’s next brick-and-mortar location will be Jalandhar.
The brand also retails online in India through its dedicated e-commerce store, which makes up a greater portion of its total India sales than its global average, according to Einola.
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