H&M reopens at Westfield Stratford with third concept store globally

H&M has unveiled its reopened store at the giant Westfield mall in London’s Stratford, but it’s not just a simple revamp. Instead it’s only the retailer’s third new concept store globally with a host of enhancements aiming to improve the overall shopper experience.

The store reopened Thursday after an “extensive” renovation with H&M saying it’s “a significant step in the evolution of its store portfolio”.

Queues formed outside the store ahead of the opening, with consumers attracted both by the opening offers and the fact that the new concept (which so far has only been seen in Seoul and Stockholm) “provides an inspiring customer experience, improved omnichannel services, and a curated selection of the latest styles” across all H&M assortments, including womenswear, menswear, kid’s fashion, beauty, and home.

So what do we actually get in terms of enhancements? The company said “customers can look forward to new smart store services, including interactive fitting rooms, where screens recognise products, including size and colour, and provide tailored styling tips based on each individual garment. Through the screens, customers can easily request a different colour and size as well as recommended garments directly to the fitting room with a simple push of a button or conveniently order their favourites on hm.com”.

New tech also includes mobile checkouts “for a seamless shopping experience anywhere on the shop floor, alongside self-service checkouts”. 

Klas Degeryd, head of expansion UK & Ireland said the “newly designed store truly reflects our investment and commitment to providing the best of our brand for our London customers. Every aspect of the space is crafted with the customer in mind, celebrating the joy of shopping through exceptional design and interactive features”.

So why was London chosen after the two earlier concept launches in Seoul and Stockholm? We know that H&M Group as a whole is focused on London and has chosen it as the global launchpad for key new brands or brand offshoots in the past (think Cos and H&M Home, for instance). 

Degeryd also said in the official release that “London is a global hub of fashion and creativity, so we are proud to expand and evolve our presence here”.

And he added to FashionNetwork.com that “London is one of our key brand cities, along with Stockholm, Paris, Milan, New York, and Berlin. These cities are strategically important for our brand investment. Stratford has always been a standout store in our UK portfolio, serving as a ‘flagship’ outside of our central London locations on Oxford and Regent Street. It is both a destination and a community hub. Similar to our choice of King’s Road, Chelsea for our womenswear concept store, we believe Stratford is the ideal location to showcase our new physical brand direction and demonstrate our ability to be a global brand in more localised areas.”

And Camilla Henriksson, head of brand experience at H&M added: “The space has been completely reimagined to offer the very best H&M experience, full of inspiration and a strong focus on personal service. Refined architecture and fresh design details elevate our fashion-forward collections while innovative tech solutions allow for a modern and seamless shopping experience ready for all our customers to enjoy.”

As for the other two concept stores and the prospect of more to come, Degeryd told us that the response to them “from our customers has been very positive, and you can see how much they appreciate the curated store layouts and the elevated shopping experience. In these stores we have also been adding new store technology such as smart fitting rooms, mobile checkouts, and RFID for improved stock accuracy and replenishment, and this has really added convenience for the customers and offered a more seamless experience. We couldn’t be happier with the response so far.”

He also said the campy aims to “elevate our key commercial cities and retail locations in a similar way to Stratford, and our store concepts vary based on the specific need and characteristics of each location. We are constantly upgrading our store portfolio to ensure the best customer experience in every community we serve. This new concept will be introduced in our larger stores globally and serves as a direction for our brand expression in-store.”