Christina Rydberg, Retail Lead, and Ebba Kettner, Retail Marketing Manager, kicked the workshop off with a short introduction of H&M Move. Joining H&M Beauty and H&M Home, H&M move is the newest addition to the H&M's lifestyle brands working to democratize sports apparel through the overarching mission: “Getting everybody to move, however they move.”

Proceeding, the students got divided into groups to discuss their perception of the H&M Move brand today. Prior to the workshop the students had on their own visited the flagship store at Sergels Torg and were encouraged to draw findings from this experience. While the brand was commended for its value for money and inclusive size range, feedback was also highlighted regarding areas of improvement. In particular, many groups highlighted missing staff expertise, ambiguous product categorization, and perception of low quality.

Building upon these insights, the students got to take on a second assignment: coming up with strategies to strengthen H&M Move's brand and explore the future of H&M Move's retail stores. A range of suggestions were highlighted here such as switching from using macro- to micro-influencers in campaigns to boost credibility as well as creating a platform for Movers to interact with each other. Recommendations to enhance the in-store experience included reducing the number of SKUs and educating staff. Creative and imaginative solutions to foster brand participation were also brought up such as in-store gyms, treadmills, and workout classes. Lastly, as the workshop concluded, a final discussion emerged regarding the disconnection between H&M’s brand and qualities sought after in sports apparel. This prompted an interesting dialogue on how to create a credible sports apparel brand while still being included under the H&M umbrella.

We express our sincere appreciation to Christina, Ebba, and Emma Hull, Early Careers Partner at H&M Group, for organizing a very thought-provoking and interesting workshop!

Henrik Hultqvist, Key Account Manager, H&M Retail Club