We mined H&M’s acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to discern the company's strategic priorities.
H&M is a giant in fast fashion, with over $23B in net sales in 2021 and nearly 5,000 stores across the globe.
But evolving shopping behaviors, the emergence of new players like Shein, and regulatory pressures surrounding sustainability are pushing traditional fast-fashion companies to adapt their business models.
H&M has been responding to these challenges by investing in the digitization of its operations and sustainable solutions. Over the past few years, the company has been implementing and testing out technology solutions such as recommerce, virtual fitting rooms, and next-gen textiles. It has also forayed into both the creator economy and metaverse in an effort to boost digital engagement.
Using CB Insights data, we uncovered the 5 most important strategic priorities highlighted by H&M’s recent investment and partnership activity. We then categorized companies by their business relationships with H&M across these priorities:
- Circular fashion
- Creator economy
- Logistics & supply chain
- Next-gen textiles
- Omnichannel engagement & digital fashion
