- Huw Hughes
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H&M has opened the doors of its first ‘hyper-local’ flagship in Berlin’s
creative Mitte district as the Swedish fast-fashion giant experiments with
becoming “more personal and locally relevant.”
The 300-square-metre store is one of H&M’s smallest and offers curated
womenswear, selected external brands, vintage pieces and a showroom for
customers. As well as stocking fashion from H&M’s assortment, the flagship
will also offer a number of selected external brands, most of them Berlin
based.
Additionally, the space will regularly offer events such as lectures,
fashion talks and yoga for its customers, while upcoming trends and looks
will be presented in its public showroom.
Local is in trend
This trend of brands downsizing and creating more
localised stores based around customer engagement is one that is growing as
consumers increasingly look for more personal shopping experiences. In May,
US luxury department store chain Nordstrom said its future was in smaller
local-stores that carry little inventory and instead focus on customer
experience.
“It’s a test for us as a global retailer to elaborate around how we can
be more personal and locally relevant,” said Anna Bergare, business
developer at the Laboratory H&M Group.
Thorsten Mindermann, country manager H&M Germany, added: “This is a
unique location and it has served as a meeting place for Berliners for over
a hundred years, a tradition we want to honour. We aim to offer a
neighbourhood store serving as a platform for local and global talents
within retail, culture and art.”
Scroll down to see photos of the new flagship
Photos: H&M
