H&M entered Norway first outside Sweden in 1964.
The expansion followed Erling Persson’s establishment of the Swedish women’s clothing retailer Hennes in Västerås in 1947. Norway was the company’s first international market, beginning H&M’s long development from a Swedish chain into a global fashion retailer.
H&M later expanded elsewhere in Scandinavia, including Denmark, before moving into larger European markets. The company’s international growth is sometimes confused with its first store outside Scandinavia, which opened later in the United Kingdom. Norway was the earlier milestone because it was the first country beyond Sweden, while still being part of Scandinavia.
In 1968, the company acquired the menswear retailer Mauritz Widforss and adopted the Hennes & Mauritz name, later shortened in everyday use to H&M.