A broader restructuring will see the replacement of existing regional layers with four new continents. Under the new structure, the newly formed Continent Asia Pacific will be based in Shanghai and will oversee five sales markets.
Fashion clothing store H&M will be relocating its Southeast Asia regional headquarters from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur as part of a broader restructuring of its Asia Pacific operations, according to Malay Mail.
Per the news report, H&M formally communicated the changes to staff on 11 May 2026. The Swedish fashion retailer, which operates in 81 markets and employed around 132,000 people globally as of its 2025 financial report, is expected to cut about 30% of its regional support workforce under the restructuring. This includes 78 positions to be removed from a regional headcount of 256 in the former East Asia region, Malay Mail reported.
Most of the impacted roles are expected to be in Singapore.
In a statement to HRO, the company shared that it is constantly working on improvements to adapt to its customers’ expectations. As part of that, the team regularly reviews how it works to ensure the organisation remains flexible, efficient, and fast-moving.
“Singapore remains an important market to us, and we will continue to have our office located in Singapore. We will continue to maintain our retail presence reflecting our long term commitment.
“We are fully committed to supporting all of our colleagues in any organisational changes and will continue to fulfil our obligations according to local labour law requirements.”
It added that as this is an ongoing process, no further details will be shared.
“The restructuring is part of a broader evolution of H&M’s commercial operating model, which replaces existing regional layers with four new continents. Under the new structure, the newly formed Continent Asia Pacific (APAC) will be based in Shanghai and will oversee five sales markets,” Malay Mail reported.
As a result, the head office for the Southeast Asia sales market will be located in Kuala Lumpur, while the Northeast Asia sales market will relocate to Tokyo. The APAC continent portfolio will also include India (with its hub in Bangalore), Australia & New Zealand (with its hub in Sydney), and Greater China, which will share the Shanghai hub with the continent headquarters.
Employees will undergo a calibration process ahead of the new structure taking effect. According to Malay Mail, staff are required to complete an assessment survey by 21 May 2026, nominating two priority roles. Placement decisions will be based on 2025 contribution ratings and recent disciplinary records, rather than standard CV submissions.
Interviews and evaluations are scheduled to take place between 25 May and 19 June 2026, with employees expected to be informed of final outcomes by mid-June. The new consolidated structure and staff relocations are expected to be operational by 1 July 2026.
Malay Mail also reported that H&M will propose mutual separation agreements for employees whose roles are eliminated or reduced, should no alternative position be found within the new organisation. Details of separation packages will be communicated at a later date.
Finally, as further reported, support functions in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City are being offshored, while offices in Seoul and Manila are being downsized. However, as cited Malay Mail, the company said that “store-level operations and retail teams will remain unaffected.”
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Lead image / H&M Hamngatan, Stockholm outlet