Stefan Persson

Stefan Perssonis a Swedish business executive who served as chairman (1998–2020) and CEO (1982–98) of Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) retail clothing store.

Persson learned fashion retailing from his father, Erling Persson, who founded a women’s clothing store, Hennes (“Hers”) in Västerås, Sweden, in 1947. The company added a store in Stockholm and soon became a fixture of fashion in the Swedish market, eventually extending its reach to other European countries. Men’s clothing was added through the 1968 acquisition of Swedish hunting-gear retailer Mauritz Widforss, after which time the firm was commonly known as H&M. Persson, who joined the family firm in 1972, helped lead its European expansion and was present when the first British store opened in London in 1976. He assumed leadership as H&M’s managing director and CEO in 1982 when his father became chairman of the board.

By the late 1990s, H&M had become Europe’s largest retail clothing chain. As it grew, H&M built its reputation on “fast fashion”—inexpensive trendy designs with wide appeal, all of which were initially created by in-house designers. Their concepts were rapidly transformed into mass-market garments through a network of manufacturers in such countries as Turkey, Bangladesh, and China. Persson recognized the business potential of—as well as the cultural interest in—global fashion; consequently, H&M did not alter garment designs for specific national or regional markets. This strategy allowed H&M to exploit economies of scale as the firm expanded to the U.S. (in 2000) and Canada (2004); it also opened its first stores in the Middle East, in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (2006), and in China (2007). By 2012 H&M operated approximately 2,500 stores in more than 40 countries. Most of the brands sold through H&M were in-house labels, but Persson tapped star appeal by soliciting design lines from fashion designers, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo, Versace, and Marni, as well as pop singers Kylie Minogue and Madonna.

A few missteps occurred under Persson’s leadership, notably the appointment in 1998 of Fabian Månsson, a former skateboard champion, to fill his shoes as managing director while he succeeded his father as chairman; Månsson resigned two years later. Persson was succeeded by his son Karl-Johan as CEO in 2009 and as chairman in 2020. By the time of his departure, H&M had more than 5,000 stores in some 75 countries.