Big-name fashion retailer with Potteries Centre store closes 200 branchesSince 2019 the brand has closed 1,000 stores around the worldView Image The Potteries Centre (Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)Fast fashion retail giant H&M has reported a sales slowdown after a Christmas rush failed to materialise. The clothing chain - which has a branch inside Hanley's Potteries Centre - closed 200 branches globally last year. Sales in local currencies rose 2 per cent over the year and across its fourth quarter. It said the decline “should be seen in the light of strong sales during the Black Friday week at the end of November, which led to subdued demand in a number of markets in December”. It added: “The company is closely monitoring developments in global trade and trade restrictions.