Who Owns Hennes & Mauritz Company?

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Who Really Owns H&M?

Ever wondered who pulls the strings at one of the world's largest fast-fashion retailers? Understanding the Hennes & Mauritz SWOT Analysis is just the beginning. This exploration unveils the intricate H&M ownership structure, revealing the key players shaping its global dominance. From its humble beginnings in Sweden to its current status as a multinational giant, the story of Hennes & Mauritz owner is a fascinating journey of family legacy and market influence.

Delving into the H&M parent company and its H&M company structure provides critical insights for any investor or business strategist. Discover the impact of the Persson family's enduring control and explore the roles of H&M shareholders, uncovering how these factors influence the company's strategic decisions and financial performance. Learn about Who owns H&M and gain a comprehensive understanding of the forces driving this global fashion leader.

The story of H&M, or Hennes & Mauritz, begins in 1947 with its founder, Erling Persson, in Västerås, Sweden. Initially, the company was known as 'Hennes' and focused exclusively on women's clothing. This marked the start of what would become a global fashion retailer.

The evolution of H&M continued in 1968 when 'Hennes' acquired Mauritz Widforss, a hunting and fishing equipment store in Stockholm. This acquisition led to a rebranding as Hennes & Mauritz, opening the door to menswear and children's clothing, thus broadening its market scope.

From its inception, the company has largely been a family-owned business. The Persson family, through their investment company, Ramsbury Invest AB, maintains a significant shareholding in H&M. This structure has played a crucial role in the company's long-term strategy and stability.

Founding of H&M

Erling Persson founded Hennes in 1947 in Sweden. Initially, it focused on women's fashion. This laid the groundwork for the future expansion of the brand.

Expansion and Rebranding

In 1968, Hennes acquired Mauritz Widforss. This led to the company being renamed Hennes & Mauritz. The acquisition expanded the product range beyond women's wear.

Family Ownership

The Persson family has maintained significant ownership. This family control has influenced the company's strategic decisions. This has ensured a focus on long-term growth.

Stefan Persson's Role

Stefan Persson, Erling Persson's son, played a key role in H&M's growth. He served as CEO and later as Chairman. His leadership helped shape the company's expansion.

Ramsbury Invest AB

Ramsbury Invest AB is the Persson family's investment company. It holds the majority of shares in H&M. This structure ensures family control.

Long-Term Strategy

The family's vision emphasizes long-term growth and sustainability. This vision influences the company's operations and decisions. This approach is central to H&M's strategy.

H&M Ownership Structure

Understanding the H&M ownership structure is crucial for anyone looking into the Hennes & Mauritz owner details or the question of who owns H&M. The company's structure has remained largely consistent since its inception, with the Persson family, through Ramsbury Invest AB, maintaining a controlling stake. The company's history and ownership structure are detailed in Brief History of Hennes & Mauritz. This family ownership model has allowed for a focus on long-term strategies and sustainable growth, influencing decisions from the top down. The family's continued involvement ensures a consistent vision for the brand, impacting everything from product development to market expansion. As of the latest available data, the Persson family's holdings remain significant, underpinning H&M's stability and strategic direction.

• Erling Persson founded Hennes in 1947.
• The acquisition of Mauritz Widforss in 1968 led to the H&M brand.
• Stefan Persson, Erling's son, played a key role in the company's growth.
• Ramsbury Invest AB, the Persson family's investment company, holds a majority of shares.

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The story of H&M ownership began in 1974 when it was first listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, marking a significant shift in its structure. Despite this, the Persson family has remained firmly in control. This has allowed the company to maintain its focus on long-term growth and sustainability, influencing decision-making processes, financial management, and overall business direction. The company's evolution reflects a blend of public trading and family stewardship.

The Hennes & Mauritz owner structure is characterized by a dual-class share system, which has historically insulated the family from external influence, allowing them to maintain a controlling interest. This structure has been key to preserving the family's influence and ensuring the company's strategic direction aligns with their long-term vision. This structure has been key to preserving the family's influence and ensuring the company's strategic direction aligns with their long-term vision.

As of May 31, 2025, the Persson family and related entities held a substantial portion of the company. The Stefan Persson family and related companies held 64.19% of the total shares and 82.87% of the voting rights. The Lottie Tham family and related companies are the second largest shareholder group, holding 5.53% of total shares and 2.64% of voting rights. Other major institutional investors as of May 31, 2025, include AMF Fonder & Pension (2.57% of total shares, 1.23% of voting rights), Vanguard Funds (1.41% of total shares, 0.68% of voting rights), and BlackRock (1.28% of total shares, 0.61% of voting rights).

Key Takeaways on H&M Ownership

The Persson family, through Ramsbury Invest AB, maintains significant control of H&M, ensuring a focus on long-term strategy. The dual-class share structure has been instrumental in preserving family influence since the company's listing. This structure has allowed the company to maintain its focus on long-term growth and sustainability.

• H&M ownership is largely controlled by the Persson family.
• The dual-class share structure gives the family greater voting power.
• Other major shareholders include institutional investors like AMF Fonder & Pension, Vanguard Funds, and BlackRock.
• The family's control supports a long-term strategic vision for the company.

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As of May 7, 2025, the board of directors of Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) includes Karl-Johan Persson as Chair. Other board members re-elected at the 2025 Annual General Meeting include Anders Dahlvig, Danica Kragic Jensfelt, Lena Patriksson Keller, Helena Saxon, Christian Sievert, and Christina Synnergren. Klas Balkow was newly elected to the board in May 2025. Employee representatives on the board include Keith Barker, Agneta Gustafsson, and Tim Gahnström, with Therese Nordström, Hans Nilsson, and Sofia Almbrandt as deputy members.

The composition of the board reflects a blend of experienced business leaders and employee representatives, ensuring diverse perspectives in the company's governance. This structure helps guide the strategic direction of H&M, taking into account both shareholder interests and the perspectives of the workforce. The board's decisions are crucial for the company's performance and its ability to adapt to the evolving retail landscape.

The voting power at H&M is significantly influenced by its dual-class share system. As of November 30, 2024, the company had a total of 1,610,542,225 shares. These shares are split between Class A shares, which have ten votes each, and Class B shares, which have one vote each. This structure has a direct impact on H&M's ownership and control. The Persson family, through Ramsbury Invest AB and private holdings, held 81.9% of the votes as of November 30, 2024. By April 2025, their voting power increased to 82.5%, primarily due to the Class A shares. This arrangement allows the founding family to maintain substantial control over the company's strategic decisions, even though all shares have equal rights to dividends and assets. This structure means that while H&M is a publicly traded company, the influence of minority shareholders is limited. Understanding the H&M ownership structure is key to understanding how the company is managed and controlled.

H&M Ownership and Control

H&M's ownership structure is characterized by a dual-class share system, which gives significant voting power to the Persson family. This structure ensures the founding family's continued influence over the company's strategic direction. Learn more about the Target Market of Hennes & Mauritz.

• The Persson family controls approximately 82.5% of the votes as of April 2025.
• Class A shares have ten votes each, while Class B shares have one vote.
• Minority shareholders have limited influence due to the voting structure.
• The dual-class system allows the family to maintain control.

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Over the past few years, the Persson family has significantly increased its control over H&M. Through their holding company, Ramsbury Invest, the family has invested over SEK 63 billion (€5.8 billion) in share repurchases since 2016. This has boosted their control of the company's capital from 35.5% to approximately 64%. Including the extended family holdings, the Perssons now control around 70% of the capital and about 85% of the voting rights as of June 2025. This trend has led to speculation about a potential delisting, although H&M Chairman Karl-Johan Persson has stated there are no plans to take the company private, citing their belief in the company as the reason for share purchases. Understanding the Marketing Strategy of Hennes & Mauritz can provide further insights into the company's direction.

H&M's share buyback programs reflect its capital management strategy. A SEK 1 billion share buyback program was initiated on September 26, 2024, authorized by the 2024 annual general meeting. The purpose of this program is to distribute surplus liquidity and adjust the company's capital structure. The board plans to propose canceling the repurchased shares at the 2025 annual general meeting. In a previous program, H&M repurchased 1,175,658 B shares between February 19 and February 23, 2024, as part of a SEK 3.0 billion share buyback program announced in September 2023. As of February 23, 2024, H&M held 18,134,732 B shares of its own stock.

Leadership changes and executive incentives also play a role in H&M's recent developments. Daniel Ervér was appointed as the new CEO of the H&M group on January 31, 2024, succeeding Helena Helmersson. Moreover, Ramsbury Invest AB issued call options to Daniel Ervér (450,000 options) and CFO Adam Karlsson (340,000 options) on February 16, 2024, demonstrating a long-term commitment to the H&M group's success.

Who Owns H&M?

The Persson family, through Ramsbury Invest, holds the majority of H&M's shares. They have significantly increased their control over the company in recent years through share buybacks.

H&M's Share Buyback Programs

H&M has been actively involved in share buyback programs to manage its capital. These programs aim to distribute surplus liquidity and adjust the company's capital structure.

Leadership Changes at H&M

Daniel Ervér was appointed as the new CEO of the H&M group in January 2024. This change indicates a shift in the company's leadership and strategic direction.

Executive Incentives

Ramsbury Invest issued call options to key executives, signaling a long-term commitment and confidence in the company's future performance.

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