H&M ranked as top performing European retail brand

Sweden-based apparel retailer H&M has topped the first ever ranking of Europe's top performing retail brands by brand value carried out by consultancy Interbrand. H&M came in with a brand value of EUR 10.4bn while other top performers in the ranking of 25 brands included the French-owned Carrefour (EUR 6.6bn), Sweden's Ikea (EUR 6.5bn), the UK's Tesco (EUR 5.6bn) and M&S (EUR 5.1bn).

'Retail brands provide the most comprehensive opportunities for brands to truly come to life,' Interbrand chief executive Jez Frampton said in a statement. 'The scope of retail brands goes from the insights that create a robust brand strategy, into store design, engagement of your people and in many cases, the creation and supply of own label produce.'

Among other qualities of top retailers, Interbrand pointed to an understanding the importance of tailoring store formats. 'Designing the right portfolio of store formats to maximise brand experience and financial performance sets these retailers apart from their competitors and creates preference with their customers,' the company said.