The most recent commenter on our post about H&M’s likely move to Dallas “knows for a fact that H&M is coming to NorthPark in November,” possibly with a temporary store, and plans for an official launch in August 2011.
Of course, we can’t state anything as confirmed fact based on an anonymous blog comment. But if you’re asking us, it sounds like H&M is on the verge of making an announcement that it is heading to Dallas. Here’s why:
H&M: The company’s U.S. media representative, Nicole Christie, hasn’t returned our phone calls from voicemails left starting this summer and as recent as today. We did reach Sue Sernett, H&M real estate manager, who has indicated to publications such as the Observer that the international retailer known for its “fast fashion” is looking to expand into the Dallas market. Sernett told us, however, that she can’t talk to us because she has already gotten in trouble for talking. (Sernett told the Observer’s Robert Wilonsky last year that the company was looking at expanding to the Dallas market in late 2010 or early 2011, and most recently told him that the company was “hours away from making an announcement“.) Sernett directed us to call Christie, and when we told her we haven’t been able to reach Christie, Sernett told us that she was having trouble reaching her, too, because Christie is very busy with a number of H&M store openings in the United States this fall. (The company is planning to open 220 new stores this year, worldwide.)
NorthPark Center: Derek Wood, who deals with leasing at the center, told us that “all we can say is, when leases get signed is when we make an announcement,” and that “we will make a public announcement on the tenant when the leases are signed.” He asked us to be clear that this is NorthPark’s policy across the board, not just for H&M.
So no “yeses”, but no “nos”, either. Until we called a commercial real estate source who is in-the-know about these sorts of things, and asked the same question — “Is H&M coming to NorthPark?” — which received this response: “I’ve heard it’s a done deal.” The source, however, asked to remain anonymous, and we respect those requests, just as we respect the prerogative of H&M and NorthPark to remain mum on the topic until they’re ready to talk.
