Abstract
Hennes & Mauritz AB, better known as H&M, one of the inexpensive clothing fashion brand's leaders, established an expansion strategy, above all towards the East. They opened a lot of new stores in the best location, on shopping streets and in shopping centers in the United States (Beverly Center in Los Angeles) and in Canada (Center Rockland in Montreal). The Swedish firm also decided to develop itself in the Middle East, and in Asia. After China with Hong Kong and Shanghai, a contract has been signed to open its first store in Japan, sometime during the year 2008. The Japanese are known for being very fashionable people, but further information is needed to conclude if H&M's business is likely to be successful in the Japanese market. This report will focus on a macro environmental analysis and will be a more market-specific analysis, mainly through the SLEPT and 12C frameworks, before going onto a further assessment of the main challenges for the company in this market.
