A red carpet, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and crowds of people – the opening of the first store in Ukraine of Swedish clothing brand H&M was quite an event.
Despite having to endure long lines, the first shoppers enjoyed music, gifts, and discounts on the opening day of the 2,900 square-meter H&M store, which is located in Kyiv’s largest shopping center, the Lavina Mall. Besides clothing, accessories, and makeup products, the store sells homeware under the H&M Home brand.
Rumors about H&M’s entry to Ukraine have been circulating for years, but official confirmation from the company came only last year. Many viewed the opening as a good sign that the country’s investment climate is improving.
“We think this is a great time, we’ve noticed that there’s been a lot of interest from customers here, interest in H&M, we think it’s very nice to see this positive development here in terms of the economy. There’s a growing middle class, we think that the competitive landscape is really strong,” said Fredrik Olsson, the Managing Director of the H&M, on Aug. 17 at a press conference in Kyiv.
The second H&M store in Ukraine will open in October, company representatives said.
