BBC.COMHave you ever gone to a store and really thought about its name? Just recently, people were shocked when they learned how to pronounce the Spanish store ‘Zara.’ We know that the only thing that really matters are the clothes.
H&M is the latest store name that has everybody really curious. Most of us know the store for its easy, short name. But we’ve never really wondered why it’s just H&M. What do the two letters even represent?
According to the store’s website, the origin of this Swedish brand dates back to the 1940s. A Swedish entrepreneur, Erling Persson, opened a women’s clothing store in Sweden called “Hennes,” which literally means “Hers.”
What about the M? In 1968, Hennes had taken off in Sweden. The owner decided to purchase Mauritz Widforss, a hunting and fishing apparel retailer.
Eventually, the two stores combined forces and became known as Hennes & Mauritz, dropping the Widforss completely.
Not only was there an addition to the name, but it also went from being strictly women’s apparel to being also made for men and children.
It wasn’t until 1974 when the company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. That’s when it became abbreviated to simply H&M.
H&M is known as the second largest retail store in the world, being just behind Zara and ahead of Gap Inc. People of all ages and size are able to enjoy what this store has to offer.
Hennes and Mauritz have been able to build and maintain an enormous trust across their customers all over the globe through 67 years of their existence.
Successstory.com notes that the store is widespread in more than sixty countries. With over 3,500 stores in Asia, Australia, Europe and the USA.
H&M also has close to 800 factories to make clothes and accessories, and stock them up. The creative work happens in the Sweden office, where the designs are finalized.
