H&M to close more UK stores - see list of shops shutting for good

30 January 2023 , 09:35

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The high-street fashion retailer will be closing its branches in Hartlepool and the Isle of Wight (Image: PA)

H&M is closing a further two shops in the UK, blaming a "rapid change in customer behaviour".

The high-street fashion retailer will be closing its branches in Hartlepool and the Isle of Wight.

It comes just days after H&M shut its branches in Burton and another in Maidenhead.

H&M has not said when its Hartlepool and Isle of Wight stores will close, or if any workers are at risk of redundancy.

H&M could also not confirm whether further stores had been earmarked for closure too.

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A spokesperson for H&M UK & Ireland said the business needs to "evaluate and develop our business to meet our customers’ needs".

The high-street fashion retailer will be closing its branches in Hartlepool and the Isle of Wight (PA)

H&M said this was both in-store and online and said this meant it "sometimes needs to close stores."

The full H&M statement read: "During the last few years, we have seen a rapid change in customer behaviour that we cannot ignore.

"We continuously need to evaluate and develop our business to meet our customer’s needs and offer the best possible shopping experience, whether it’s online or in our physical stores.

"Our ambition is to continue investing in our customers, open new stores where we see opportunities and develop our digital channels.

"We continuously evaluate how we should invest in stores and sometimes decisions must be made to enable long-term growth. This means that we sometimes need to close stores."

In November last year, it was revealed that the Swedish retailer had closed one in five stores in the UK.

At the time, the move left H&M with 192 stores across the UK after closing 56 locations.

Last week, the H&M group, which owns the brands H&M, COS, Monki, Weekday, & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, H&M Home and ARKET, revealed that its profits were almost wiped out due to soaring production costs.

It also noted losses after closing branches in Russia and Belarus after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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On the retailer's announcement on Friday, H&M CEO Helena Helmersson commented: "On top of this there were increased energy costs as well as a one-time charge for the cost and efficiency programme that was initiated at the end of the year.

"The combined effect of these factors amounted to a negative impact on profit in the fourth quarter compared with the same quarter last year."

H&M group operates around 4,664 stores in 77 countries and employs 155,000 staff worldwide.

It's the world's second-largest fashion retailer after Zara.

Ruby Flanagan