International fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) opened its flagship store in Cape Town over the weekend. The first H&M store in South Africa opened at the original V&A Waterfront centre-court and extend 4700 square meters over 2 floors.

Europe’s second-biggest clothing retailer, is hoping to give South African shoppers that good old quintessential shopping experience that puts everything around the customer.

H&M now has its sights set on opening stores in Johannesburg, starting with Sandton City.

Par Darj, the country manager for H&M South Africa, told Business Report that the group would differentiate itself by focusing on what it did best, and that was being a traditional retailer.

He said H&M, popularly known for high-quality yet very easy and affordable fashion, represented what was known in-house as “democratic fashion”.

The first H&M South Africa store will showcase apparel, underwear and accessories for men, women, teens and kids. The store will also have H&M’s Home concept, which delivers a unique element of style for every room in the house.