Two major fashion retailers are closing down their only stores in the state of Tasmania, with one deciding not to extend their lease agreement and the other forming part of a total wind-up of operations.
Global fashion giant H&M confirmed that its current lease term in Hobart CBD is coming to an end, and won’t extend that agreement.
The company told Ragtrader that it continuously reviews its store portfolio, adding that customers can still shop at other locations or via its online website.
Meanwhile, Glue Store owner Accent Group – which manages around 30 brands and retailers under license or full ownership – is undertaking a full wrap-up of Glue Store operations, with the plan to either wind it up entirely or sell the sneaker retail business.
In its half year results for FY26, Accent Group told investors that all 16 remaining Glue stores are planned to be closed or transitioned by the end of the financial year. In the first half, Glue recorded an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss of $8.4 million, inclusive of provisions for closure.
No specific date has been given for Glue’s Hobart store. The Hobart store was the first and only Glue location in Tasmania, opening in 2021.
With H&M, the upcoming closure of its Hobart store in April comes as the global retailer has tightened its Australian portfolio in recent years.
In 2019, H&M’s store portfolio peaked at around 40 stores across Australia. This has since shrunk to around 33, with the upcoming closure of Hobart bringing it down to 32 according to the brand’s website.
These exits from Hobart come as the state’s fashion spending continues to grow slightly year-on-year. In December 2025, fashion spending in Tasmania hit $83.7 million in original terms, which is up from $79.7 million in December 2024, with that up from $75.5 million in December 2023. This is according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
For comparison, New South Wales fashion spending in original terms peaked at $2.1 billion in December 2025, which is up from $2.07 billion in December 2024, with that up from $2.002 billion in December 2023.