H&M remains one of the biggest names in fast fashion, but its physical footprint is getting smaller. Shoppers will be seeing fewer of the brand's stores in malls around the world.
As Fast Company reported, the company's latest earnings report suggests additional closures for the Swedish retailer.
What happened?
Last week, H&M published its six-month report for 2026, offering an updated snapshot of the company's sales, operations, and store strategy.
During the quarter that ended May 31, the retailer recorded net sales of 54.8 billion kronor, or about $5.6 billion.
H&M still maintains a huge global footprint, with more than 4,000 stores in 81 markets. However, the total continues to move downward. Over the past year, the company has opened some locations and closed others, but the closures have exceeded the openings.
Why does it matter?
Additional store closures could mean a potential disruption for workers tied to those locations.
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The development also shows how unstable the fast-fashion business can be, even for a company with global reach.
Fast fashion relies on producing large volumes of low-cost clothing at high speed, and that business model carries serious environmental and human consequences. Textile dyeing and treatment can pollute water supplies, factories and international shipping contribute to air pollution, and the industry has long faced criticism for exploitative labor practices.
Inexpensively made garments often wear out quickly, lose their shape, or fall apart after repeated washing, forcing consumers to replace them more often. Over time, that cycle can turn "budget" fashion into a costly habit while generating even more textile waste.
What are people saying?
H&M is presenting the performance as relatively steady even with a smaller store base.
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In its report, the company said results in local currency terms "were fairly in line with last year" and that it was operating about 3% fewer stores than a year earlier.
The retailer is portraying the closures as part of a broader strategy, not as a one-off move. H&M is still adding some stores, but it seems set on continuing to reduce its brick-and-mortar footprint.
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