H&M sees summer shopping pick-up after weaker-than-expected quarterly sales

• H&M has faced several consecutive quarters of soft sales, as it has struggled to close a widening gap with rivals Inditex, Shein and Temu.

Swedish clothing giant H&M on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected sales in the fiscal second quarter but pointed to an uptick in demand to kick-start the summer season.

Revenues at the world's second-largest clothing retailer dipped year-on-year to 56.71 billion Swedish krona ($5.99 billion) in the three-month period to May. 31, slightly below the 57.01 billion Swedish krona forecast by LSEG analysts.

Operating profit totaled 5.9 billion Swedish krona over the quarter, in line with expectations.

The company said, however, that sales in June were expected to increase 3% in local currencies as demand shows signs of picking up over the summer months.

The fashion retailer previously reported a slow start to the year, but pointed to an annual uptick in sales in March.

H&M has faced several consecutive quarters of soft sales, as it has struggled to close a widening gap with Inditex-owned rival Zara and fend off increased competition from lower-cost retailers, such as Shein and Temu.

U.S. tariffs and weak consumer confidence have nevertheless become a drag for the retail sector more widely, with Inditex earlier this month posting weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and a slower start to the summer amid broad economic uncertainty.

Retail and consumer goods emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, according to a new report from law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, which cited tight credit conditions, cost inflation and weaker consumer demand among pressures on the industry.