CSA First Look: H&M Goes Big in NYC

H&M’s new Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan is the fast-fashion giant’s largest store in the world, a whopping 57,000 sq. ft. Beyond its sheer size, the store breaks new ground for the Swedish retailer in a number of other ways. Here are five big ones:



1. The product assortment: It’s the first H&M in the United States to carry all the retailer’s product lines under one roof. Along with the brand’s signature trendy women’s and men’s threads, the line-up includes maternity, newborn, special sizes and cosmetics. There are also fully-realized childrenswear and home goods departments, and in-shop stores for accessories, footwear and lingerie.



2. The overlook look: Befitting the Fifth Avenue locale, this is the brand’s most upscale and fully realized store to date, with green and white marble tiles, herringbone woodwork, chandeliers, leather furniture, tufted-fabric walls in the fitting rooms and mannequin groupings. On the main floor, mannequins are arranged in a gallery setting, on a tiered staircase display, echoing a fashion runway.



3. The openness: With its all-glass façade, the huge store has an open feel. A soaring four-story atrium is set off with a 26-ft. by 20-ft. LED screen.

4. Free concierge shopping service: In a first for H&M, a personal-shopper service is available on a appointment basis — and at no charge.



5. It won’t be the biggest H&M for very long: The brand plans to debut an even larger outpost, a 63,000-sq.-ft. location in Manhattan’s bustling Herald Square, later this fall.

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