Erling Persson’s original women’s clothing store was called Hennes, and it later became the H&M business.
Persson opened the shop in Västerås, Sweden, in 1947 after drawing inspiration from efficient, high-volume American retailers. “Hennes” is Swedish for “hers,” reflecting the store’s original focus on women’s fashion. The concept combined frequently updated styles with accessible prices.
The name changed after Persson acquired the Stockholm hunting-apparel retailer Mauritz Widforss in 1968. That purchase brought menswear into the business, producing the name Hennes & Mauritz. The familiar abbreviation H&M followed after the company began rebranding its stores in 1974.
A common mix-up is to treat Mauritz as the original store name. Mauritz was added later through the acquisition and represented the company’s expansion into menswear; Hennes was the founding women’s shop. Another early milestone came in 1964, when the company opened its first store outside Sweden, in Norway.