[STOCKHOLM] Hennes & Mauritz's (H&M) revenue in China fell at least 40 per cent in its most recent quarter as the retailer bore the brunt of a social-media backlash following earlier comments expressing concern about forced labour in Xinjiang.

China fell off the list of H&M's 10 largest markets in the three months till August, according to the company's results released on Thursday, indicating how big the decline has been. The company confirmed Danske Bank analyst Daniel Schmidt's calculation that revenue from the country must have dropped at least 40 per cent on a conference call on Thursday. Chief executive officer Helena Helmersson said it is a "complex situation", and declined to comment further.

Last year, China was H&M's fourth-largest market and the source of more than US$1 billion of revenue. Chinese social media users started calling for a boycott of H&M in March after an earlier statement by the retailer expressing concerns about forced labour in Xinjiang. H&M responded at the time with a new statement saying that ethical purchasing is still a priority, without mentioning Xinjiang.

Spain was H&M's 10th-largest market in the third quarter with sales of 1.55 billion kronor (S$240 million). That calculates into at least a 40 per cent drop in Chinese revenue, based on the 2.55 billion kronor reported for that market in the third quarter of last year.

BLOOMBERG