Swedish Fashion Brand COS to Open a Store in Israel

COS, a higher-brow arm of Swedish clothes retailer H&M, will open its first store in Israel next spring at Tel Aviv’s Gindi TLV Fashion Mall.

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H&M launched COS, short for Collection of Style, under a decade ago. COS is less trendy and more expensive, with higher-quality fabrics and careful tailoring, if minimalist.

COS has 174 stores in 31 countries; H&M has more than 4,000 stores in 61 countries – both cater to men, women and children. Israel will be the fifth Middle Eastern country to open a COS store after Bahrain, Kuwait, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

H&M is based in Stockholm and COS in London, but both manufacture in the Far East under similar conditions.

H&M arrived in Israel in March 2010 and already has 18 huge stores here, but COS is not expected to open as many outlets. Israeli prices will be similar to those at Massimo Dutti – Zara’s upscale chain.

According to H&M Israeli franchisee Match Retail, it’s too early to say whether prices at the store on Hahashmonaim Street will be the same as those in Europe – or higher, as they usually are; at H&M as well.