GLOBAL FASHION RETAILER OPENS NEW DOORS IN COLORADO IN SUPPORT OF THE DISASTER RESPONDER PROGRAM

Press release – Oct. 9, 2013, 8:50 p.m. EDT

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — H&M, Hennes & Mauritz, is proud to announce its partnership with the American Red Cross in their efforts to provide disaster relief through the Disaster Responder program. This partnership enables the Red Cross to immediately prepare for and respond to nearly 70,000 disasters each year.

The Disaster Responder program allows the American Red Cross to quickly respond to the needs of individuals and families impacted by emergencies anywhere in the United States or around the world with immediate disaster relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other aid.

As a part of the company’s on-going CSR initiatives, H&M makes an effort to support communities in which they have stores. In addition to their pledge to the Disaster Responder program, H&M helped the American Red Cross provide clothing and funding to the impacted families immediately following the torrential rains and devastating floods that took place last month in Colorado.

“Contributions to the Red Cross before a disaster strikes allows us to respond immediately when disasters like wildfires and the Colorado floods leave a community devastated,” said Neal Litvack, Chief Development Officer at the American Red Cross. “We’re so grateful to H&M and other members of our Disaster Responder program whose contributions, along with those of the American public, enable the Red Cross to aid and comfort families and help them take critical steps toward recovery.”

In addition to the partnership, H&M is inviting customers to participate in register drives at all H&M stores throughout Colorado during the month of October, including the company’s newest locations: Twenty-ninth street in Boulder and Colorado Mills in Lakewood, both opening on October 10th, as well as Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, set to open on October 24th. 100% of funds raised will go directly to help support the local affected communities.

“We are proud to continue our work with the Red Cross by helping to provide critical resources to those in need. We were saddened by the unfortunate natural events which affected communities in the northern region of Colorado last month,” says Daniel Kulle, U.S. President for H&M. “In addition to our pledge, we want to encourage our customers at all H&M locations in Colorado to join us in our initiative to help the American Red Cross with their disaster relief efforts.”

To find out more information about our partnership and how to donate please visit http://www.redcross.org/cm/handm-pub

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. The company’s business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday as well as H&M Home. The H&M Group has around 3,000 stores in 52 markets including franchise markets. In 2012, sales including VAT were SEK 140,948 million and the number of employees is more than 104,000. For further information, visit hm.com.

About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE H&M – Full press release can be found here
Copyright (C) 2013 PR Newswire. All rights reserved