H&M Closes U.K. Stores for Two Weeks Due to Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) --

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB will temporarily shutter its stores in the U.K., meaning the company has now closed all physical outlets in its three biggest markets as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

U.K. stores will be closed from March 21 for an initial period of two weeks, H&M said in a statement on its website. The decision comes after the retailer said earlier in the week it would shut all 460 stores in Germany, 590 stores in the U.S. as well as shops in Canada, Portugal and Belgium. Germany is the company’s largest market, followed by the U.S. and the U.K.

“We’ll decide what happens next based on the latest advice from the U.K. government and the World Health Organisation,” H&M said.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has faced criticism for moving too slowly in the early stages of the outbreak, ramped up measures in the past week, and ordered pubs, restaurants and leisure centers across the country to close from Friday night in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

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