H&M to open in Sarasota Square mall

Exterior view of H&M Store in New York. (Provided by H&M)

H&M, a Swedish international apparel brand known for its discount prices on trendy clothing for young men and women, will open two stores in Sarasota County within a year, a move that baffles some retail analysts, but shows that there may be enough business to support more than one mall in the region.

H&M will open its second store in Sarasota County inside Westfield Groups Sarasota Square Mall.

The chain committed to its first store inside the Mall at University Town Center, a $315 million mall opening at Interstate 75 and University Parkway on Oct. 16.

This is a surprise to me. H&M is the type of retailer that, usually, would wait to open a second store until after they can see how the first in the market was doing, said Jeff Green, a Phoenix-based retail analyst. Westfield must have offered them a very good deal.

The second store will take over a 21,000-square-foot space inside the Westfield Group mall, officials confirmed Thursday morning. Westfield has been preparing for months for H&M. Building permits filed with the county show that several of the malls tenants, including a Verizon Wireless store, Bond Jewelers and the mall management offices, have moved to make room for the new H&M space.

Construction is ongoing, and the retailer is set to open in the spring 2015, well after the opening of the Mall at University Town Center.

H&M has grown in size and popularity in the U.S. during recent years and has expanded into Florida.

The first store to open south of Tampa on the Gulf Coast was in Naples during 2012. Tampas Westfield Citrus Park also will see an H&M soon.

The chain has 2,500 stores in 53 countries worldwide.

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H&M to open in Sarasota Square mall