Ask almost anyone about their first job, and there is a good chance it started on a Saturday.

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Those early shifts are often where people first discover what work really means. They’re not just about earning money but about building confidence, learning responsibility, working within a team, and feeling part of something bigger. For millions of people across this country, retail opened that first door into working life. Right now, there is a real risk that the door could close.

For one in five people, their first job was in retail. This was often a single weekend shift that developed into something much more. It is a story I still see play out every week. At H&M, many of the people leading our stores and teams today began that way: a few hours on the weekend, learning on the shop floor, developing new skills, and growing in confidence over time. I did the same.

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