H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB's fast-fashion chain H&M will begin selling external brands and products on a trial basis in a bid to attract new shoppers, Reuters reported Sept. 16, citing a company spokeswoman.
Swedish-language news website breakit.se first reported the move, referring to a job ad for the position of head of external brands on H&M's career page.
"The H&M brand will now develop our offer of external brands. The purpose is to complement our offer with external brands to add excitement and energy and we see great opportunities for growth and to find new customers," the company said in the ad.
The spokesperson declined to give more details about the trial, the news wire said.
The proposed multi-brand offering would put H&M directly in competition with other online retailers in Europe, such as Germany's Zalando SE and the U.K.'s Asos PPLC, Reuters said. Other brands operated by the retail group, such as & Other Stories and Arket, already sell external brands alongside their private labels.
