H&M Group is continuing the slow and steady rollout of its Arket brand with plans to open physically in Greece for the first time this year.

The Greece debut will be in the country’s capital city, Athens, although we don’t yet know the exact location nor the month in which it will open its doors.

Arket’s MD Pernilla Wohlfahrt said Athens “with its unique blend of ancient heritage and vibrant contemporary culture, provides the perfect backdrop for our modern design destination”.

Slow and steady really underlines the Swedish retail giant’s approach with Arket (as it does with the group’s Cos brand too). The first Arket store opened in London as far back as 2017 and as of this month, there are still only 39 physical stores for it across 17 countries in Europe, China, and South Korea. It also sells online in 31 markets.

That said, the pace of openings has accelerated slightly in the past year or so. Last November, the company announced it would debut in Austria with a physical store in Vienna this year and in Norway with a store in Oslo.

Earlier in the year it debuted in Poland, in Warsaw, and it also entered Spain and Italy last summer with stores in Barcelona and Milan.