A 63,000 Sq. Ft. H&M Is Coming to NYC — Really

New York is largely touted as one of the world's best-dressed metropolises — but H&M is determined to derail that reputation by dressing legions of Manhattanites in cheap, polyester garments. At least, that's what their most recent expansion plans seem to suggest.

The retailer already has 11 stores on the island of Manhattan, and last year announced it would be opening its largest store ever on 5th Avenue with a whopping 57,000 square-foot space, as well as another 42,500 square foot store in Times Square. But now H&M is outdoing even itself with an additional new store at Herald Center: a four-level, 63,000-square-foot flagship.

It's a bit excessive, no? H&M already has two store locations on 34th St., and there are apparently no plans to alter them once the new giant joins the neighborhood in 2014.

But its redundancy isn't even the most absurd part of H&M's plan. According to Racked:

The first three floors will be covered in a glass facade with campaign images adoring the windows like billboards. Floors four through ten will have LED light panels. The overall effect will be reminiscent of Times Square. Or Tokyo.

Because if there's one thing New York needs, it's more places that look like Times Square. The news of H&M's New York expansion is unwelcome by many, and is especially hard to swallow given what it implies for human rights around the world. The only silver lining is that the three giant stores will create 900 new jobs for New Yorkers.

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