H&M's new CEO Helmersson gets tough with plan to eliminate 5% of stores

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) AB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Helena Helmersson is getting tough in her first year running the Swedish fashion retailer, announcing plans to reduce the store count by 5 per cent next year.
 
The CEO is making H&M’s biggest retrenchment ever as the pandemic exacerbates its record inventory buildup. The retailer said Thursday it plans to permanently shut 250 stores on a net basis in 2021 after eliminating 50 this year. The stock rose as much as 8.3 per cent.
 
Helmersson’s first year at the helm of the company has been more challenging than she bargained for as Covid-19 has plunged the industry into its worst business conditions in decades. Inventory remains a headache, increasing to more than 21 per cent of 12-month revenue. That’s more than double the level of Zara owner Inditex.
 
Job cuts are looming throughout the retail industry as chains find it’s easier to sell online than in person. Marks & Spencer Group said in August it’s cutting about 7,000 jobs. Any reductions at H&M would probably affect a bigger proportion of women than men. About three-quarters of H&M’s 180,000 employees are female.

 
Third-quarter pretax profit came in at 2.3 billion kronor ($257 million), higher than the 2 billion-kronor estimate that H&M gave last month. Sales have been recuperating, with revenue dropping 5 per cent in September, the first month of H&M’s fourth quarter. Third-quarter sales had fallen 16 per cent. “The recovery is going better and faster than we expected,” Helmersson said via phone, attributing the performance to well-received collections and strict cost control. “The worst is behind us.”
 
Helmersson declined to estimate how many jobs may be cut. She said that H&M plans to close shops in mature markets, like Europe and the US, whereas the retailer will open more stores in countries with more growth potential like Russia, India and Japan.