H&M taps young Filipinos to drive growth

Youth, digital habits, and fashion appetite fuel H&M’s Philippine strategy.

H&M is betting on the Philippines’ young and digitally active consumers to fuel its next phase of growth in Asia, according to Saed El-Achkar, regional manager and CEO of H&M Greater China & East Asia Regions.

The Swedish fashion retailer, which has been in the Philippines for nearly 11 years with 41 stores and an online presence, sees multiple trends reshaping the market.

At the core of these shifts is the country’s youth. “As you know, the average age in the Philippines is 27 years old. That’s something that you cannot find in many countries around the world, which is incredibly exciting and interesting,” El-Achkar noted.

Alongside demographics, Filipino shoppers’ enthusiasm for fashion and lifestyle is shaping H&M’s approach. “Customers are fashion hungry, enthusiastic about life, happy. People want to look good, feel good and be nice, and then continuously celebrate, which is super exciting,” he said.

Digital habits amplify this demand. “The Filipino customer is very social, not only physically, but also digitally. And being the tech savvy they are, and being present on Instagram, on TikTok, on social media in general, all of this and many other things are incredibly positive trends for any fashion brand,” El-Achkar added.

The Philippines’ geographic and cultural position also bolsters its importance within H&M’s regional strategy. “First of all, it is the location, being part of East Asia, being part of Southeast Asia, to be more precise. But it’s also, as we said, it is the demographics," El-Achkar said.

"It is how the customer perceives fashion, how open the customer to all the international trends out there… makes the Philippines an incredible and incredibly important market for us,” he added.

Looking ahead, H&M aims to deepen engagement by enhancing in-store and online experiences. “Our journey or our mission is to liberate fashion for the many, make sure that fashion is as close as possible to all our customers," said Saed El-Achkar. "By elevating the fashion level, by elevating the experience, both in our stores and on our online platform, and also by building this fantastic relationship with our customers."