THE moment fashion followers in Newcastle have been waiting for is almost here: the new H&M store at Charlestown Square will throw open its doors at 10am on Thursday.
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The Swedish chain has more than 4000 stores around the world and is popular for its affordable, up-to-the-minute clothing lines.
It is one of the pioneers of the ‘fast fashion’ concept, using a finely tuned logistical network to get on-trend styles from runway to rack within short turnaround times.
The Charlestown store is its eleventh in Australia and the first in a regional area. The first opened nationally in Melbourne in 2014 and the brand has been eagerly embraced since. Last year the tills rang in $162 million in sales for the Australian arm of the business, with a net profit of $3.8 million.
National stores manager Hans Andersson, who greeted the Newcastle Herald on Wednesday resplendent in a burgundy corduroy H&M suit from last year’s collection, said the brand owed its success to a combination of factors
“It is fashion, it is quality, it is price, but also the collection is wide – it is not only trends, we have a lot of fashion basics, denim and casual wear,’ he said.
“Everybody who likes fashion is our customer. My mother is 92 and she still finds things in the store that she thinks are nice and is interested in what we are stocking.”
As with the other outlets that have opened in Australia, H&M Charlestown is a flagship store carrying a full range of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing as well as homewares, a more recent foray for the Swedish chain.
While competitive pricing is a hallmark, opening day will offer specials at even lower levels than usual, with the Herald having spotted during Wednesday’s walk-through racks of children’s jeans, men’s hoodie jackets and women’s tops priced at $4.95.
While the drawing area for the two-level Charlestown store is markedly smaller than that of the company’s capital city outlets, the chain has been buoyed by the enthusiasm of Hunter shoppers.
“We have had more than 5,000 followers on Facebook signing up to attend the opening,” Mr Andersson said. “We are very optimistic about the response.’’
H&M is one of two international retailers opening flagship stores at Charlestown Square on Thursday, with Cotton On launching a new store adjacent.
Mohan Rengaswamy, development manger for centre owner GPT, said the company was excited about the new additions to the centre’s retail mix.
“We are pleased to be able to offer Newcastle and the region these quality international brands,” he said.
