Erling Persson

Who was Erling Persson?

Erling Persson was the founder of H&M. He got the idea following a post-WWII trip to the United States as he was very impressed by efficient, high-volume stores.

The company was established in Västerås, Sweden, in 1947 by Erling Persson, though at the time it only sold women's clothing and was called Hennes, Swedish for "hers." In 1968, Persson acquired the premises and inventory of a Stockholm hunting equipment store named Mauritz Widforss. In 1982, Erling Persson's son, Stefan Persson took over the position as the Managing Director, and today he is the Chairman of the Board. The Persson family owns about 33% of the company and has a 69% voting right.