Fashion Retailer H&M’s Q1 Operating Profit Rises More Than Expected 

The logo of H&M is on display outside a store on the day it closes, as the fashion retailer exits the Russian market, in Moscow, Russia November 30, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of H&M is on display outside a store on the day it closes, as the fashion retailer exits the Russian market, in Moscow, Russia November 30, 2022. (Reuters)
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Fashion Retailer H&M’s Q1 Operating Profit Rises More Than Expected 

The logo of H&M is on display outside a store on the day it closes, as the fashion retailer exits the Russian market, in Moscow, Russia November 30, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of H&M is on display outside a store on the day it closes, as the fashion retailer exits the Russian market, in Moscow, Russia November 30, 2022. (Reuters)

H&M, the world's second-biggest listed fashion retailer, reported on Wednesday a larger-than-expected operating profit for the December-February period.

Operating profit in the Swedish group's fiscal first quarter was 2.08 billion crowns ($196.3 million), up from 725 million a year earlier, against a mean forecast of 1.43 billion in an LSEG poll of analysts.

H&M has said it aims to reach a 10% operating profit over the course of this year.

Measured in local currencies, H&M's sales from March 1 to 25 increased by 2%, the retailer said.

The Swedish fashion retailer, known for $19.99 jeans and dresses under $15, also sells leather trousers for more than $300 and, under its Cos brand, coats for as much as $1,190.



H&M to Close Digital Outlet Afound

The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, US, November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, US, November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
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H&M to Close Digital Outlet Afound

The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, US, November 15, 2019. (Reuters)
The H&M clothing store is seen in Times Square in Manhattan, New York, US, November 15, 2019. (Reuters)

H&M will close down digital fashion outlet Afound later this year due to weak demand, the Swedish group said in a statement on Wednesday.
"When evaluating Afound's current position, we don't see enough demand, partly because brands increasingly choose to use their own channels for sales, to further strengthen their customer relationships," H&M said.
Launched in 2018 as an outlet business with physical stores to sell marked-down clothes from many external brands, Afound later tweaked its strategy to expand online.
Afound sold clothes in seven European countries including Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, according to its website.