H&M to Launch Second Store in Colombia on May 27

Stockholm, Sweden-based clothing retailer H&M recently announced that it plans to open its second store in Colombia on May 27 in Chia, a suburb just north of Bogotá. The store will be located in the Fontanar Mall (Centro Comerical Fontanar) and occupy 3,645 square meters over two floors, according to Colombian magazine Portafolio.

This launch will come just weeks after the company opens the doors to its first location in Bogotá on May 6, the date when the brand officially plants its flag on the Colombian market. This large, 18,000-square-meter store is nearing completion and will occupy two floors in the capital’s Parque La Colina shopping center (Centro Comercial Parque La Colina).

Photo: As with its store in Santiago, Chile, the Swedish retailer is hoping to further expand its Latin American presence by opening at least three stores in Colombia this year (Credit: Costanera Center, Santiago)

To drum up interest in this grand opening, H&M Colombia will give away gift certificates of roughly $200 USD to the first two people who show up in line. The next 300 will receive $50 USD gift certificates, and the following 1,000 shoppers will get $20 USD off their purchase.

“We are happy to expand H&M in Colombia with our next store that will open in Bogotá,” said Daniel Kulle of H&M North America earlier this year. He believes that the rising number of middle-class consumers in the nation will lead to high demand for the company’s “fashion and quality at very competitive prices.” Kulle added that, “we hope to bring something new and exciting for the Colombian market.”

Further expanding on H&M’s rollout in the Andean nation, a third location is already in the works. According to reports, it will be located in the La Felicidad mall (Centro Comercial Multiplaza La Felicidad) in Bogotá.

H&M’s expansion into Colombia is a part of its global push to increase its physical presence throughout the world. In 2016, the retailer launched its first stores in locations including Cyprus and New Zealand, and it has named Vietnam, Iceland, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, along with Colombia, as its top new markets for 2017. H&M also counts Mexico, Chile, and Peru among its newer focus areas within Latin America.