Erling Persson

Erling Persson (21 January 1917 – 28 October 2002) was the founder of H&M (Hennes & Mauritz). He got the idea following a post-World War II trip to the United States as he was very impressed by efficient, high-volume stores.

The company was established in Västerås, Sweden, in 1947 by Erling Persson, though at the time it only sold women's clothing and was called Hennes, Swedish for "hers." In 1968, Persson acquired the premises and inventory of a Stockholm hunting equipment store named Mauritz Widforss. In 1982, Erling Persson's son, Stefan Persson took over the position as the Managing Director, and today he is the Chairman of the Board. The Persson family owns about 47% of the company and has a 74% voting right.