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Fashion giant H&M to open new South East flagship store

International fashion brand H&M has today announced it is to upsize to a new 40,000 sq ft store at Kent’s Bluewater.

The new ‘statement store’, which is 15,000 sq ft bigger than its current location, is due to open in November and will be the fashion retailer’s flagship outlet for the South East.

While work progresses, the Swedish retailer will continue to trade in its current ground floor location. The brand has also taken a unit on Bluewater’s lower Thames Walk, adjacent to House of Fraser, as a short-term menswear store.

H&M’s upsizing follows similar moves by Next and Top Shop who have both moved to larger premises in the shopping centre in the last couple of years.

The development will see Land Securities, who run Bluewater, building an enlarged upper floor and mezzanine over the current central service yard.

Commenting on the news, Russell Loveland, Portfolio Director at Land Securities, co-owner and asset manager of Bluewater, said: “Upsizing H&M to create a new statement store has been an objective for some time, as we work to ensure our key brands trade from stores that reflect Bluewater’s position in the industry. H&M’s new store will deliver a great experience for our guests and is a fantastic start to 2016.”

Bluewater enjoyed a record year in 2015 with sales reaching their highest level since its opening in 1999.