WILKES-BARRE TWP. —Marissa Linko of Harveys Lake is glad she no longer has to travel to Philadelphia to shop at H&M.
Linko and her son, Hayden, were among hundreds of people who lined up for the grand opening of fashion retailer H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) at the Wyoming Valley Mall on Thursday.
“I absolutely love it,” Linko said. “Their clothes are absolutely amazing for a good price.”
Music blasted, employees danced and the crowd cheered Thursday as manager Amy Hughes cut a ribbon to open H&M.
The store is opening in the space formerly occupied by teen clothing retailer Wet Seal and CVS, which closed, and athletic footwear retailer Finish Line, which moved to a bigger location formerly occupied by the Gap before it closed.
The store sells clothing for women, men, teens and newborns and accessories.
Sara Long and her boyfriend Brandon Stuchkus, both of Wilkes-Barre, were thrilled about H&M opening at the mall.
“It’s one of my favorite stores,” Long said. “I usually go all the way to King of Prussia to shop at H&M so it’s cool that it’s here.”
Stuchkus likes the selection of clothes.
“The prices are really good,” he said. “The quality is really good too.”
In celebration of opening day, the first 200 shoppers in line received an “H&M Access to Fashion Pass” valued from $10 to $300 and other opening offers.
Customers who brought garments to be recycled before the store opened at noon also had the chance to win H&M gift cards valued between $50 and $250 in addition to a 15 percent off voucher.
Since such a big crowd that turned out for the grand opening, only 150 shoppers were being allowed in the store at a time, said Amanda Hoprich, marketing director at the Wyoming Valley Mall.
“When our mall’s doors opened at 8 a.m., there were people waiting in line outside,” Hoprich said. “We are very excited to have this retailer. It’s perfect timing right before the holidays.”
According to a press release from H&M, the retailer has hired about 20 employees for its store at the Wyoming Valley Mall.
H&M was established in Sweden in 1947. Today, there are 22 stores in Pennsylvania, 497 stores in the U.S. and about 4,000 H&M stores in 66 markets worldwide.
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dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com
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