H&M to open first Romanian store in AFI Palace Cotroceni on March 25

Swedish retailer H&M will open the first store in Bucharest on March 25 in AFI Palace Cotroceni shopping center. The store will be located on two floors in the shopping center. The retailer plans to open six stores in the first half of 2011. H&M plans to hire at least 300 people in Romania by the end of the year. Future H&M stores will follow in Bucuresti Mall, Unirea Shopping Center, Plaza Romania, Baneasa Shopping City in Bucharest, as well as in Iulius Mall units in Cluj – Napoca, Iasi and Timisoara. “When we open new stores we take into account factors like number of clients, business locations and business environment. We believe Romania is in the right moment for our development plans, irrespective of the economic crisis,” said Pernilla Halldin, H&M spokesperson, quoted by Wall-street.ro. So far, H&M has already recruited 100 people for its stores in Romania, having started hiring in October last year. editor@romania-insider.com