H & M grand opening in Regina draws big crowds

After Sears closed its doors across the country, some malls have been struggling to fill the void. But a new store at Regina’s Cornwall Centre is hoping to do just that.

On March 29, H & M had its official grand opening, and by 11 a.m., around 500 shoppers stood in line, eagerly waiting to get inside.

Melissa Ackerman and her daughter were first in line after arriving at 1:00 a.m. and couldn’t wait for the 25,000 square-foot store to finally open.

“There’s honestly so much dynamic here,” Ackerman said. “There’s trendy clothes, young clothes, professional clothes. You have your men’s and your kids, there’s just a variety of things and it’s awesome.”

Many hope the trendy store will bring a new dynamic of fashion to the queen city.

“It’s something different for Regina, it’s a lot of options for anybody who wants to shop and it’s not too expensive,” one shopper said.

“It’s going to attract a lot of visitors and tourists here and it’s one of the places to visit obviously,” another said.

The retail giant is the first in Saskatchewan, which is exciting news for Regina as the city often gets passed up by other major retailers who usually choose Saskatoon.

Kozak said H & M’s grand opening was the largest in the mall’s history and blogger Vitori Vita said it’s only a sign of what’s to come.

“I feel like Regina is going to have a fashion makeover,” Vita said. “I think that having basically this really big store in the city will draw a lot of people and it also signifies progress.”

Fashionistas are now looking at the empty Sears space and hoping it can attract another fashion empire.

“Hopefully Forever 21, they’re cheap, they’re really good – good clothing and good material,” one shopper said.

For now, Kozak said the mall is in talks with other brands, but can’t say who will move in next.