H&M, an international clothing retailer based in Sweden, will open its first location in Detroit this fall.
The announcement was made today by Bedrock, the real estate division of Dan Gilbert’s companies. The store will be the first in decades to offer men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes in one location in the Woodward corridor.
The store will become the largest retailer in Bedrock’s portfolio with a 25,000-square-foot space on the west side of Woodward between John R and Park Avenue. It will span three buildings designed by Albert Kahn, located at 1505, 1515, and 1529 Woodward Ave.
“When we started work on the former site of the JL Hudson’s department store approximately one year ago, stories from the public poured in about memories of shopping along Woodward Avenue,” says Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Bedrock. “H&M is one of those flagship retail stores that will take the Woodward Avenue shops to another level.
“We are hopeful that new memories and experiences will be formed once again along Woodward Avenue. H&M is opening a major Detroit store because it is good for their business. Retailers, tech startups, industrial companies, and people old and young are choosing to stay in Detroit and coming from all over because the Motor City is where the opportunities are abundant. It is an exciting time in Detroit, and H&M will only add to the unparalleled momentum.”
Bedrock has added several key retailers to the downtown landscape in the last year, including Le Labo, G-Star Raw, Pure Barre, Madewell, and Shinola. They have opened alongside native Detroit brands including Lovers Only, San Morello, Canelle Patisserie, The Lip Bar, Mootz Pizzeria, Deluxx Fluxx, Besa, Good Neighbor, and Posie Atelier.
One of the three buildings to house H&M, 1505 Woodward Ave., once was home to the Richman Brothers Co., a men’s haberdashery. The building has undergone renovations and is now home to offices of International Bancard and Rocket Fiber, both of which will remain in the building.
The facades at 1515 and 1529 Woodward recently underwent restorations and were once home to the Grinnell Bros. music store and the Sanders candy store, respectively.
Bedrock has acquired more than 700,000 square feet of retail space in downtown Detroit since it was founded in 2011, much of which has been fully restored within historic structures. It will add more than 275,000 square feet of retail space to the Central Business District. Retail spaces in the Book Tower, Monroe Blocks, and the Hudson’s Site developments are designed to attract a mix of local and national brands.
H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB was founded in 1947. The H&M group has more than 4,300 stores in 66 markets including franchise markets.
