H&M up 15 per cent last month

H&M's hold on European high street fashion continued to grow over the past month, despite a general downturn in consumer confidence.

The Swedish fashion retailer increased turnover for the group by 15 per cent last month compared with the same period last year. The growth in turnover for the month was down on March, when there was an increase in turnover of 20 per cent. However, the figure for April is well above the mean average for the past 12 months, at about 12.8 per cent.

The retailer hopes to gain big increases in autumn, through a deal to supply a limited range of clothing from British designer Stella McCartney.