[sirkingwilliam]

H&M TO OPEN A THIRD SAN ANTONIO STORE
THIRD STORE WILL BE LOCATED AT NORTH STAR MALL

Price-sensitive shoppers may soon have a bit more to celebrate now that European retailer H&M is looking at opening yet another San Antonio location.

H&M is looking at North Star Mall on San Pedro Ave. for its newest store. According to a state permit filing, the retailer would open after spending $1.6 million remodeling retail space, which is expected to begin in July and be completed by October of this year. That's in addition to a $1.75 million construction project for a new store at the Rivercenter Mall, which is on schedule to open this August.

Improvements at North Star Mall will include new storefront systems, interior walls, flooring, finishes, ceiling, fixtures, and possibly most important, ADA-compliant toilets. The existing elevator and stairs in the space will be reused. According to Dustin Christensen, marketing manager for North Star Mall and the Shops at La Cantera, the mall isn't able to confirm any opening for the retailer since it is still something "in the works" and negotiations are still in play. However, typical leases are 10 years.

"(H&M) would be a great addition anywhere they go," Christensen said. "They have been a great addition to the Shops at La Cantera, and since it shares a lot of the same customers with North Star Mall, we would expect it to be very successful there as well."

By the end of 2015, H&M will have three stores in the city, with the first opening at the Shops at La Cantera a little less than a year ago. The three stores will give the retailer an expansive footprint throughout San Antonio, starting up in the Northwest, moving through North Central and stretching downtown.

The North Star Mall location will be the 13th Texas storefront for the retailer, but based on the rapid expansion it has demonstrated here, is unlikely to be the last for San Antonio.