In what year did H&M enter the US market?

H&M entered the US market in 2000, opening its first American store on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

The opening took place on 31 March 2000 and marked an important step beyond H&M’s European base. Fifth Avenue gave the Swedish retailer a highly visible location in one of the world’s major fashion capitals, helping introduce its affordable, trend-focused clothing model to American shoppers.

H&M’s international expansion had begun much earlier. The company started in Västerås, Sweden, in 1947 as Hennes, expanded into Norway in 1964, and opened its first store outside Scandinavia in London in 1976. It began online retailing in 1998, shortly before the US launch.

The date is sometimes confused with later US growth, because H&M expanded its American store network gradually after the New York debut. The 2000 milestone refers specifically to entering the market, not to reaching nationwide coverage or launching its online US business.