The Persson family name identifies H&M, founded by Erling Persson in Sweden in 1947.
Erling Persson opened a women’s clothing store called Hennes in Västerås in 1947. The word Hennes means “hers” in Swedish. In 1968, he acquired the hunting and fishing retailer Mauritz Widforss, gaining a men’s clothing range and changing the company’s name to Hennes & Mauritz, later shortened to H&M.
The Persson family remained central to the company’s ownership and governance. Erling’s son Stefan Persson served as chief executive and chairman, while the family’s holding company has remained a major shareholder.
H&M is therefore not an acronym for a founder’s initials. Its letters come from the combination of Hennes and Mauritz, a detail often missed when the family-business history is summarized.