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H&M's top executive unexpectedly stepped down on Wednesday and the company's stock plunged as the fashion giant reported a drop in sales over the holiday shopping season. Helena Helmersson resigned after four years as CEO and 26 years at the company, saying she was proud of the work done over the past few years, including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it has been very demanding at times for me personally. She was replaced by Daniel Ervr, who was in charge of the H&M brand and has worked for the Swedish clothing retailer for 18 years. "Our focus will be on offering our customers the best combination of fashion, quality, price and sustainability in an inspiring and attractive shopping environment, Ervr said in a statement. H&M shares fell as much as 11 per cent after the announcement and news that its latest earnings missed analyst expectations. For the last three months of 2023, operating profit margin fell to 7.2 per cent from 7.8 per cent in the previous ...
Low-cost fashion brand H&M said Wednesday that it will be reducing its global workforce by around 1,500 positions as part of a plan to reduce costs and further improve efficiency. The Sweden-based company said a restructuring charge of 800 million kronor ($76 million) will be booked in the last three months of the year. The staff reduction is estimated to provide annual savings of about 2 billion kronor ($190 million). CEO Helena Helmersson said H&M was very mindful of the fact that colleagues will be affected by this. We will support our colleagues in finding the best possible solution for their next step. H&M was founded in Sweden in 1947. Besides the clothing retailer, the group includes brands like COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday, & Other Stories, H&M Home, ARKET and Afound. It counts about 4,664 stores in 77 markets and has 57 online markets.