Long wait over as Hong Kong welcomes HM
It was too much of an opportunity for Asia’s shopping paradise to miss: the grand opening Saturday of Hong Kong‘s first branch of a major worldwide clothing chain.
And in their hundreds they came – many of them teenagers – queuing for hours to be the first in this fashion-conscious city to get their hands on the colourful garments sold at Swedish chain H&M‘s debut store in China.
More than 1,000 people gathered outside the downtown shop waiting for the 11:00am opening.
Many of them were lured by the promise of a limited number of trench coats personally signed by singer Madonna, one of the chain’s celebrity designers, and 500 pairs of sunglasses.
Some had camped out for more than 24 hours.
“I suppose it is a bit crazy, but I love this chain,” said 22-year old office worker Sandy Chiu. “I’m also a big fan of Madonna.”
Overnight they had either slept on the pavement or fought to stay awake.
When opening time finally came, the crowds poured into the store to cheers by staff.
As an added incentive, H&M brought forward by two weeks the launch of its M collection, designed by Madonna, in time for the Hong Kong opening.
H&M’s flagship store will be the first of four to open in the southern Chinese city this year, said Nils Vinge, head of investor relations.
“We don’t usually witness scenes like this at a store opening,” he said. “We are very bullish about the Hong Kong retail sector.”
Source: AFP via France24.com.