Boo: H&M's Fall E-Commerce Launch Delayed

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Today in bummers: Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M has delayed the launch of its frothily anticipated online shop in the United States, BusinessWeek reports. The brand, which launched online shopping in Europe back in 2010, had anticipated US e-commerce for the second half of 2012—likely intending to have it in place before the crucial holiday shopping season and the brand's upcoming collab with Maison Martin Margiela, which is scheduled to land on November 15. Now, H&M says it will be more like "the middle of 2013" instead of this fall. The company said it "simply needs more time to prepare that offering."

On the bright side, H&M competitor Uniqlo seems to be progressing nicely with their expansion plans, having just opened their first mall store in the US in New Jersey this week. Uniqlo is also rumored to be launching e-commerce this fall, so with any luck at least one of the two fast-fashion giants will be shoppable by the time the holiday season and/or the next edition of the Racked 38 rolls in.
· Sweden's H&M Says Q3 Dented by Late Summer Heat [BusinessWeek]
· Mark Your Calendars: Your Guide to Fall's 10 Best Collab Launches [Racked]
· Fast-Fashion Face off: Here's How Uniqlo Compares to Zara, Gap, and H&M [Racked]