New H&M Goes to Raleigh, Not Charlotte...Why?

By Andrea L. Simon, guest blogger

Rumors have been buzzing and it has now been confirmed that H&M is set to finally make its debut in the Carolinas. The News & Observer reported yesterday that a deal for a 21,000 square-foot H&M store is slated to be finalized in about a week, with the store opening in the spring in--*cue the sound effects*--errrrrrrrr Raleigh?!

Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against Raleigh. Being the capital of our beautiful state, it frequently tops lists like “Smartest City,” “Best Place to Live,” and “Best Place for Business and Careers.” It will also likely draw a ready-made customer base for the store with several major universities and young professionals easily within driving distance. To be fair, I think Raleigh is a solid choice to host the store. But at the risk of sounding like a two-year-old, throwing a tantrum and stomping my feet when I don’t get my way: What about Charlotte?! We have long since been making a name for ourselves as the new metropolis of the Carolinas, and with H&M, known for being a “big-city” retailer, finally reaching out to our market; one would only assume Charlotte would be first choice.

In about six months, Raleigh will be holding an H&M grand opening like this one. A 21,000 square-foot store is planned for Crabtree Valley Mall.

Sure, Raleigh could argue that we were given the only IKEA in the Carolinas, and maybe it’s only fair that they too are given the opportunity to monopolize a sought-after retailer in the region. But upon hearing rumors that an H&M would finally be coming (clearly I’ve been waiting for this news for quite some time now), surely I’m not the only one who thought SouthPark Mall was a shoe-in! Being that I (like a host of other Charlotte residents) am not a Queen City native, it seems I’m finding new stores, restaurants, and businesses that I was accustomed to in my home state, popping up in Charlotte every day. I have to believe that this is due to a number of businesses taking notice of the ever-increasing population, diversity, and culture that Charlotte is building out of transplants from all over the country; included in this mix, many people who are already familiar with and consumers of their products.

So why, may I ask, didn’t H&M see fit to follow suit? While I’m markedly disheartened that this is not the case, I can only hope that the opening of the Raleigh store will merely be the first in the Carolinas, with announcement of a Charlotte launch not far behind. I guess until then, as one elated Raleigh dweller commented on a recent forum, “Charlotte will finally have to come to Raleigh for something instead of the other way around!”

If you too have an opinion on this, sound off.

To learn more about plans for the new Raleigh H&M store, visit The News & Observer’s article by clicking here.