H&M June Sales Rise 9%; Miss Views

STOCKHOLM -(Dow Jones)- Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB (HM-B.SK) Thursday reported a 9% rise in comparable store sales in June after its sales a year earlier were weighed by slow consumer spending in the economic downturn. H&M, the world's third-largest fashion chain after U.S.-based Gap Inc. (GPS) and Spain's Inditex S.A. (ITX.MC), slightly underperformed expectations for an 11% rise in stores open longer than one year. The company's total sales, including sales in new stores, were up 20% in June, just below forecasts of a 21% rise. A strong sales increase had been expected after H&M in