Swedish fast fashion retailer, H&M, will open its first store in Wellington at Queensgate Shopping Centre later this year.

Roy Stansfield, Stride’s General Manager Shopping Centres, said this announcement marks an important milestone in a large project, which has been a long time in the works.

“We’re incredibly excited that a world-renowned brand like H&M has chosen Queensgate as the location for its first Wellington store,” Stansfield said. “It’s testament to the standard of the centre and the opportunities in the region as a whole.”

Stansfield said at the moment, the store’s opening date has not been confirmed, but he said they will continue to share more information on their website and Facebook page and in the Centre.

“We’re very much looking forward to seeing the new store take shape,” he said.

The fast fashion retailer’s new brand, Arket, will launch its first hometown store in Sweden at Biblioteksgatan 9, in the heart of Stockholm’s shopping district Bibliotekstan.

The store in Sweden will open in the spring of 2018, following the launch this autumn on Regent Street in London. The London store will be followed by stores in Brussels, Copenhagen and Munich. The brand will be present online in Sweden as well as 17 other countries from the first day of the brand’s launch in London.