Retailer H&M sets Nov. 2 as opening date for Hamilton Place location
23,000- square-foot store to debut Nov. 2
The largest new store at Hamilton Place mall in more than six years will roll out next week when fashion retailer H&M opens its doors.
The mall will house the 23,000-square-foot store, the only H&M unit in East Tennessee, on the second level near Sears when it opens Nov. 2, said company spokesman Patrick Shaner.
“We offer fashion to people, more fashionable clothing to people who can’t get to a big city,” said Shaner about why H&M is the world’s second largest retailer in its segment.
Stacey Keating, a spokeswoman for mall owner CBL Properties, said H&M’s product line and price point resonate with people.
“They’re one of the most asked-for tenants” by consumers, she said.
Shaner said the store, which will employ between 20 and 30 people, also will offer H&M’s sustainability program. People who bring in a bag of old clothes receive a 15 percent discount on their purchase, he said.
“When you come into H&M, there’s fashion for everybody in a sustainable way,” Shaner said. He said gently used clothes are given a second life, or otherwise the items are used “in a new way.”
Shaner said the program offers “a way consumers can get involved in a sustainability program.” In 2016, more than 2 million pounds of unwanted textiles were diverted from landfills, according to H&M.
H&M will have four stores in Tennessee when the Hamilton Place site opens, Shaner said. The company already has stores in Nashville, Franklin and Collierville, he said.
The Chattanooga store will carry collections for ladies and men, and will offer a separate “shop in a shop” section for accessories. The store will also hold the H&M Kids collection for newborns to 14-year-olds.
Keating said both CBL and H&M have worked to put together the new store, which required the relocation of other retailers in the mall to accommodate the large footprint.
“We did work … and combined several spaces,” she said. “They do the fixtures and merchandise.”
The store is the largest in square feet at Hamilton Place since Forever 21 opened in early 2011 and leased a floor of a Belk unit at the mall, according to mall spokeswoman Kim Lyons.
Keating said H&M is “a huge draw” to any property, noting CBL has added the retailer to several other of its sites.
“They’re in very high demand,” she said.
Also at the center, a new Rodizio Grill restaurant is under construction with plans to open before the Christmas holiday, Keating said.
H&M, headquartered in Sweden, has 457 locations in the United States alone and employs about 16,000 people nationwide. Worldwide, H&M has about 4,500 stores in 66 markets and 161,000 employees.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6318.