Hennes & Mauritz
Hennes & Mauritz or H&M, is a Swedish clothing company, known for their inexpensive clothing offerings. Though its price point is well in the discount fashion range, they have marketed their brand to the high-end fashion consumer, both through ads in fashion magazines and the placement of their stores in areas more typically associated with expensive designer stores.
In February 2004, The Gap, another prominent international retailer, sold off all of its German outlets to its competitor, H&M.
See also: List of Swedish companiesH&M in America
H&M launched its first American outlet in 1999 on New York's famous Fifth Avenue. Following the success of that flagship, additional outlets were opened in the Soho area. H&M in Europe
In 2003, H&M announced its entry into the traditionally exclusive Milan fashion scene. Initial analysts declared that the high-fashion Italian market would be extremely resistant to the entry of this low-end competitor. It remains to be seen if H&M and other low-end retailers will be able to find a market there.