Which city hosted H&M’s first store in the United States?

New York City hosted H&M’s first store in the United States.

H&M entered the American market in 2000 by opening on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue is one of the world’s best-known shopping streets, so the location gave the Swedish retailer immediate visibility among international shoppers and fashion businesses.

The New York opening formed part of H&M’s broader international expansion. The company had already established stores in European countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The United States represented a major move into a large, competitive consumer market outside Europe.

New York City is sometimes confused with Los Angeles because both became important American retail and fashion centers for H&M. The historical first, however, was the Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan. Later American stores expanded the brand’s reach across the country.