Major retailer confirms plans to come to Louisville - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Amid much speculation, WAVE 3 is first to confirm that a major retailer will be coming to Kentuckiana.

Late Wednesday night, officials at H&M, a Swedish clothing retailer which stands for Hennes & Mauritz, confirmed it will open a store at Oxmoor Center.

A spokesperson for the retailer says it will open in the mall in the Fall of 2013. Officials declined to say where in the mall the store would open or the size of the store.

A spokesperson for General Growth Properties, which owns Oxmoor Center and Mall Saint Matthews, said she could not speak about H&M coming to Louisville and even went as far as to say she didn't know where all the buzz was coming from.

The Oxmoor Center spokeswoman, however, said mall management would announce major changes at Oxmoor Center later this week.

The closest H&M stores to Louisville are in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The international retailer has partnered with celebrities like Madonna and David Beckham over the years to design clothing lines for the store.

Wednesday night's e-mail from H&M stated:

• "H&M will be opening our first store at the Oxmoor Center in Louisville, KY in the Fall of 2013. This new store is currently under construction and H&M has not released the exact opening date as of yet. These are currently the only confirmed details we can release regarding this location."

The news comes while rumors are spreading that Nordstrom will open either a full-line department store or a Nordstrom Rack outlet store in Louisville.

Reached for comment Wednesday, a Nordstrom spokesperson would only say that they continue to receive good feedback from the Louisville market and said to "stay tuned."

It isn't clear where in Louisville a Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack store would be located.

H&M sells men's, women's, and children's clothing as well as some home items. Retail analysts compare the store to Forever 21, which is located at Mall St. Matthews, and Urban Outfitters, which is located along Bardstown Road.

Both Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 opened in Louisville within the past two years.

Despite Wednesday evening's e-mail from H&M that confirms the plans for a Louisville store, a spokeswoman with the retailer called it a "miscommunication" on Friday and said there is nothing to announce regarding a store at Oxmoor Center "at this time".

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