H&M coming to Mall at Stonecrest later this month

Fast-fashion retailer H&M to open store at Mall at Stonecrest on March 16.

Fast-fashion retailer H&M to open store at Mall at Stonecrest on March 16.

Retailer H&M will open its long-awaited store in the Mall at Stonecrest on March 16, according to media reports.

The fast-fashion clothing giant will open a 21,000-square-foot location in the Lithonia-area mall, the fifteenth Georgia location of the popular chain.

Snagging the store is a big win for the shopping center, which, like a lot of regional malls, have struggled as consumers increasingly shop online and ubiquitous retailers such as Gap and Starbucks have pulled stores in an effort to trim locations.

Kohl’s, one of the mall’s anchors, closed its Stonecrest store late last year. That closing was preceded by the closing of a nearby Target and Best Buy.

The area could be getting a foot-traffic boost soon. A 200-acre sports center — dubbed Atlanta Sports City — is planned for a grassy field close to the mall. Construction is set to begin this fall.