H&M’s new Los Angeles flagship is a blueprint for its next generation of stores.

As the city prepares to host global events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, the Swedish retailer on Thursday unveiled its reimagined in-store concept in the U.S. with the opening of a two-story, 15,000-square-foot space at The Original Farmers Market by The Grove.

Cameras flashing, Paris Hilton made a special appearance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its official opening.

“We do make sure that we are investing in places where we see the highest return,” said Michael Beaumont, head of expansion for H&M Americas. “I think L.A. at the moment is so hot and what’s on the calendar is so exciting.”

H&M, headquartered in Stockholm, operates 3,777 stores across 78 markets globally, including 671 across the Americas, with 76 in California and 20 in L.A. County. The location at The Original Farmers Market comes following closures in Sunset Plaza, Hollywood and Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., as part of a broader strategy to streamline operations.  

The new design builds on H&M’s Times Square store format in Manhattan that opened in November 2024, carrying over elements that have resonated with customers while refining the layout to be more “agile” and adaptable to changing trends, Beaumont said.

The L.A. location is the first U.S. store to debut the refreshed look, following similar rollouts in Europe earlier this year at H&M stores in Athens and Madrid — while adapting to the local setting.

“We’re lucky enough to have a row of palm trees next to us that really frames our store nicely. We also have really large windows that allow that gorgeous L.A. sunshine in,” Beaumont said. The open-air mall is ideal for the store given its lively atmosphere, openness and walkability, he added.

“It just has that quintessential L.A. look and feel….It’s a property we’ve had our eye on for quite some time,” he said.

Inside, the store takes on a gallery-like feel with curved walls, translucent displays and sleek wooden fitting rooms, while offering mobile checkout, in-store pickup from online orders and large LED screens showcasing the latest campaigns. The enhancements will serve as a model for upcoming stores, starting with São Paulo on Saturday in Brazil, a new market, followed by BLVD Las Vegas in September and Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in November, with further rollouts planned through spring 2026.

Overall, it’s a more efficient shopping experience, Beaumont said. H&M has learned through customer surveys that the L.A. shopper values a seamless, elevated in-store visit.

“We’ve really taken a lot of time to make sure that we’ve listened to the customer feedback and make sure that design is in tune with what they expect, and also the speed at which we can help customers,” Beaumont went on. “We’ve really made progress in how we can satisfy that L.A. customer, because we do understand that we’re in a very competitive industry, and I think the customer service is one of the features that this store will show that really makes a positive difference for us.”

The store runs on radio frequency identification technology, which is used to track inventory and manage products more efficiently.

“This allows for really next level stock accuracy and also the opportunity to quickly look up products within the store,” he explained. “This really empowers our colleagues in the store to get the customers what they’re looking for as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It also allows for faster replenishment from the stockroom. So the stock we have on the shop floor, it won’t feel as much in terms of volume, we can keep volumes nice and low to really showcase the garments.”

Current bestsellers in the Americas, and specifically in the L.A. area, are denim trousers. Wide-leg fits are leading sales, according to H&M, reflecting a demand for relaxed silhouettes, along with transitional pieces like light knitwear and printed T-shirts. Online, trousers, dresses and footwear continue to be key growth drivers, noted the company.

H&M at The Original Farmers Market, at 6333 West 3rd Street, opens with the brand’s latest pre-fall arrivals across womenswear, menswear and accessories. The store will also carry designer collaborations and special collections, including its more elevated lines H&M Studio and Atelier, which is specifically designed for men.

“We have a hyper-focus on L.A. at the moment, because it is such a key market for our fashion aspirers,” Beaumont said.

The retailer is further expanding in the region with three additional openings: a relocated store at the Beverly Center on Oct. 10, a new shop in Brea, Calif., and a stand-alone location in Beverly Hills in November. Four existing stores — at Westfield Century City, Westfield Culver City, FIGat7th in downtown L.A. and Northridge Fashion Center — have also been remodeled.

“It’s a very interesting store in Beverly Hills that we’re calling a brand infuser,” Beaumont said.

Beverly Hills will stand apart with a smaller, highly curated store selection and design that showcases the brand in a “fashion-forward” way, he continued. “It will be bespoke furniture, bespoke interior, designed in-house.” The concept has already appeared in London, Stockholm and New York’s SoHo.

“It comes down to market analysis and how we can offer a different look and feel for our different customers,” Beaumont said, when asked about tailoring H&M stores to different audiences. “I think what we’ve seen is that if we can offer a customer a really curated experience, then we’re going to have more success in that location.”

H&M brought that vision to life in April, producing a large-scale music festival ahead of Coachella at Ace Mission Studios in Boyle Heights. Part of an ongoing global concert series, the event featured performances from Doechii, Robyn, Jamie xx, PinkPantheress and Sailorr, drawing roughly 5,000 guests — including Hollywood names like Dakota Fanning, Riley Keough and Barbie Ferreira, all dressed in H&M’s spring 2025 collection.

“In L.A., our approach has been through events that bring people together,” Beaumont said. “It’s about showing H&M in its best possible light to our customers and audience, and being as inspiring as we can for them.”

Long-term plans for H&M stores across the Americas focus on continued revamps. There will be 16 new store openings by the end of this year in the region, and 75 remodels.

“For the portfolio as a whole, we will be investing in remodels of stores all across the board,” Beaumont said. “Some of these will be large scale, and some will be relatively light, but there’ll be hundreds of stores getting remodeled over the coming years, not just in how stores are laid out or the interior that we’re using, but also the technology backbone as well.”

The openings and remodeled stores are a key part of H&M’s strategy to turn around its business against stiff competition from the likes of Zara. The Swedish retailer has struggled over the last several years, but saw improvement in the second quarter as its efforts began to take hold. H&M’s sales grew 1 percent in local currencies for the three months ended May 31. On a reported basis, the company had second-quarter net sales of 56.71 billion Swedish kronor, or $5.96 billion at current exchange, down 4.9 percent year-on-year, largely due to a stronger Swedish kronor.

The stronger kronor impacted sales in North and South America as well, where sales dipped 2 percent to 25.22 billion Swedish kronor but rose 2 percent in local currencies. The impact was even greater in the second quarter, where sales were down 8 percent to 12.02 billion Swedish kronor but were up 3 percent in local currency terms.