H&M was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1974.
The listing marked an important stage in the company’s expansion from a Swedish women’s clothing retailer into an increasingly international fashion business. H&M had begun as Hennes in Västerås in 1947, later adding menswear after acquiring Mauritz Widforss in 1968.
Going public gave the company access to capital and made its ownership structure broader, although the Persson family has remained closely associated with H&M and has been its controlling shareholder for much of its history. The company is traded in Sweden under the H&M name.
The listing date is sometimes confused with the 1968 acquisition that created the Hennes & Mauritz name. Those are separate milestones: the acquisition expanded the product range, while the 1974 listing changed the company’s status as a publicly traded business.