H&M Trades David Beckham For The Weeknd In Push For Younger Shoppers

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz is swapping retired soccer star David Beckham for a 26-year-old Canadian musician as it seeks to win over young shoppers. A near five-year partnership with Beckham, 41, will end this fall, Stockholm-based H&M said Wednesday. The retailer is teaming up with Grammy-winning R&B artist Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, for a one-off menswear collection that will be available from March 2. Beckham’s image has been prominent in H&M stores since the retailer began what it called a “long-term” partnership in 2011 with the former England captain, who designed everything from underwear to raincoats. H&M said Wednesday it isn’t ruling out future collaborations with the London-born star, who also has endorsed Adidas sneakers, Breitling watches and Samsung smartphones. H&M introduced its first Beckham Bodywear collection featuring formfitting underwear in 2012 and expanded the partnership to include a broader range of garments including jerseys and light summer suits dubbed Modern Essentials in March 2015. Read more at Bloomberg.