Military Domain Audit - H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB

Target Company: H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (“H&M Group”) Audit Phase: Military (Military Forensics) Research Date: 28 June 2026

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

H&M is a Swedish fast-fashion retail holding group with stores operated through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries and regional franchise partners ¹². Its Israeli operations are conducted exclusively by Match Retail Ltd., a franchisee whose ultimate controlling parent is the Horesh family’s Union Group conglomerate ¹³. H&M has no defence manufacturing or systems-integration capability of any kind ⁴².

No public evidence identified of any contract, tender, framework agreement, or memorandum of understanding between H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB - or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries - and the Israeli Ministry of Defence (IMOD), the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the Israel Prison Service, the Israel Border Police, or any other Israeli state security body.

No public evidence identified of H&M or Match Retail appearing in SIBAT (Israel’s Defence Export and Cooperation Directorate) directories, international defence exhibition catalogues, Israeli defence procurement registries, or Foreign Military Sales (FMS) notifications.

No public evidence identified of any corporate press release or government announcement detailing defence cooperation, joint ventures, or formal partnership agreements between H&M Group and Israeli defence entities.

The OpenIntel Corporate Complicity Dossier for H&M explicitly states: “H&M Group has no direct defence manufacturing, procurement, or contracting operations” ⁴.

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

H&M’s entire retail product range is confined to civilian fashion apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and homeware ².

No public evidence identified of any ruggedised, tactical, mil-spec, or defence-grade variant of any H&M product being publicly marketed, tendered, or reported as sold to Israeli security forces or the IDF.

No public evidence identified of any dual-use classification applicable to H&M retail merchandise under any strategic goods control schedule identified in this research.

No public evidence identified of any export licence application, end-user certificate, or export control review in any jurisdiction relating to H&M’s sales to Israeli military or security end-users.

No public evidence identified of any technology-transfer agreement, licensed production arrangement, or co-development programme between H&M and any Israeli defence electronics, systems integration, or ordnance company.

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

No public evidence identified of H&M’s own equipment, vehicles, or machinery being deployed in construction, demolition, road-building, or other infrastructure activity within Israeli settlements, along the West Bank separation barrier, at military installations, or elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Franchisee conglomerate - Union Motors Ltd. (sibling entity; pre-2020 data)

The Horesh family’s Union Group - the ultimate controlling parent of H&M’s Israeli franchisee Match Retail Ltd. - also wholly owns Union Motors Ltd., the sole authorised Toyota vehicle distributor in Israel ⁵⁶. Match Retail and Union Motors are sibling entities within the same family-held holding company; H&M is not itself a party to any Union Motors procurement or supply arrangement ⁵⁶.

Who Profits documented, with data valid to 26 December 2012, that Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks distributed through Union Motors were in active use by the Israeli Army, police, Border Police, and Civil Administration in the occupied Palestinian territories, including for stated purposes of settlement protection, suppression of demonstrations, and house demolitions ⁵. Toyota Camry sedans distributed by Union Motors served as IDF high-command executive vehicles from 2006 to 2010 ⁵.

Critical limitation: The Who Profits profile for Union Motors carries an explicit validity date of 26 December 2012 ⁵. No post-2020 primary source - IDF procurement notice, SIBAT tender award, or official Union Motors or Union Group announcement - confirming or denying the continuation of IDF-specific vehicle supply by Union Motors has been identified in this research ⁵. No public evidence identified of any current IDF-specific vehicle supply arrangement by Union Motors from publicly available sources.

No public evidence identified of H&M Group, Match Retail, or any Union Group entity holding contracts for construction, maintenance, or expansion of checkpoints, detention facilities, military bases, the separation barrier, or settlement civil infrastructure.

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

No public evidence identified of H&M directly supplying components, sub-systems, raw materials, or manufacturing services to any Israeli defence prime contractor, including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, or IMI Systems (Elbit Land).

Franchisee conglomerate - Union Tech Ventures equity investment in XTEND (sibling entity; confirmed 2022–2025)

Union Tech Ventures describes itself on its own website as “the technology investment arm of the Union Group, a family-owned Israeli holding company” ⁷. Union Group is the ultimate controlling parent of Match Retail Ltd., which operates all H&M stores in Israel under an exclusive franchise agreement signed in December 2008 ¹⁸. CBInsights confirms Union Tech Ventures as an investor in XTEND, an Israeli drone and autonomous-robotics company ⁹.

Tal Recanati of Union Tech Ventures stated publicly in July 2025: “Since our investment three years ago, we’ve seen the XTEND management team demonstrate exceptional execution and innovation” - placing the initial Union Tech Ventures investment in XTEND at approximately mid-2022 ¹⁰¹¹. Union Tech Ventures is listed among the participating investors in XTEND’s $30 million Series B extension, announced 15 July 2025 ¹⁰¹².

XTEND holds confirmed contracts with Israeli and US defence procurement bodies, as follows:

• In January 2023, the Israeli Ministry of Defence / Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT) awarded XTEND a multi-year, $20 million exclusive contract to develop and supply the XTEND Operating System (XOS), a human-guided, AI-assisted, multi-drone autonomous operating system using virtual-reality interfaces ¹³¹⁴¹⁵.
• XTEND was selected to supply approximately 5,000 ten-inch offensive first-person-view (FPV) combat drones to IDF Ground Forces at approximately NIS 3,500 per unit, for a total contract value of approximately NIS 20 million ¹⁶¹⁷.
• XTEND platforms have been deployed operationally in Gaza for tunnel-mapping missions, in northern Israel for interception of Hezbollah drones, and in reported operations against Iran ¹¹¹⁸. Foreign media reported that an XTEND drone was involved in the location of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar prior to his death in October 2024; neither the IDF nor XTEND has officially confirmed this claim ¹⁸.
• XTEND received a US Department of Defense contract valued at $8.9 million in October 2022, and further Pentagon contracts totalling tens of millions of dollars for AI-based attack drone systems ¹⁵¹⁰.
• By July 2025, XTEND had completed a $70 million Series B fundraising round directed in part at scaling autonomous AI robotics deployment across the United States ¹⁹¹¹.

Structural note: H&M’s commercial relationship with Union Group arises exclusively through the franchise licensing agreement with Match Retail ¹. H&M is not a direct investor in XTEND, does not supply XTEND with components or services, and shares no personnel, board seats, or supply chains with XTEND ⁴. The equity stake in XTEND is held by Union Tech Ventures, a corporate venture capital vehicle within the same family-controlled conglomerate ⁷⁹. No public evidence identified of H&M’s franchise royalties or revenues being formally directed to Union Tech Ventures or its portfolio companies.

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

No public evidence identified of H&M or Match Retail holding contracts to provide catering, transport, fuel supply, facilities management, telecommunications, or any other sustainment services to IDF bases, military training facilities, detention centres, or security installations in Israel or the occupied territories.

No public evidence identified of H&M involvement in shipping, freight forwarding, or port-handling operations specifically servicing Israeli defence logistics or arms shipments.

Store-level security contractors with documented settlement and checkpoint connections

Match Retail, as operator of H&M franchise stores in Israel, has contracted G1 Secure Solutions (formerly G4S Israel) for commercial security services at its retail premises ²⁰. Separately from its commercial retail work, Who Profits documents G1 Secure Solutions as providing: security services to businesses in Israeli settlements including Modi’in Illit, Ma’ale Adumim, and Kalia; CCTV systems to Israeli Ministry of Public Security safe-city projects in settlement municipalities; luggage and body-scanning equipment to checkpoints including Qalandia, Bethlehem, Irtah, and Erez (covering the period 2008–2017); a 25% equity stake in the Policity consortium managing the NIS 2.2 billion National Police Academy (opened 2015); and multiple service contracts with the Israel Prison Service ²⁰.

Match Retail has additionally contracted ENI Advanced Security Solutions (Rosh Ha’ayin) for commercial security services at its stores ²¹. Separately from that retail relationship, Who Profits documents ENI as having won a tender to supply a peripheral security and command-centre system - including more than 100 cameras and electronic fencing - for the Barkan settlement in the West Bank Shomron regional council, and as having established and upgraded surveillance infrastructure at the City of David settler complex in Silwan, East Jerusalem ²¹.

Scope limitation: Who Profits characterises H&M / Match Retail as a “general business client” of both G1 and ENI, indicating that Match Retail procured standard commercial store-security services ²⁰²¹. The settlement-related and checkpoint-related contracts documented in the Who Profits profiles were awarded to G1 and ENI by Israeli state and settlement bodies independently of H&M ²⁰²¹. The Who Profits data on ENI carries an explicit validity date of 30 October 2018 ²¹; the G1 profile does not specify an expiry date but references contracts primarily from the 2008–2020 era ²⁰.

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

No public evidence identified of H&M holding any role - as prime contractor, sub-contractor, licensed manufacturer, component supplier, maintenance provider, or systems integrator - in the manufacture, development, assembly, or supply of munitions, explosive ordnance, chemical propellants, warhead components, or munitions precursor materials.

No public evidence identified of H&M involvement in the manufacture, integration, maintenance, or supply of components for Israeli strategic platforms including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow ballistic missile defence, combat aircraft, main battle tanks, warships, or submarine systems.

No public evidence identified of H&M as a licensed or unlicensed manufacturer of small arms, artillery systems, armoured vehicles, or tactical unmanned aerial systems.

No public evidence identified of H&M holding intellectual property, patents, or technical data rights pertaining to lethal systems, military electronics, strategic platforms, or combat-relevant software.

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

No public evidence identified of any government decision - in Sweden, the European Union, the United States, or any other jurisdiction - to grant, deny, suspend, or revoke an export licence for H&M products destined for Israeli military or security end-users.

No public evidence identified of any investigation, citation, civil penalty, or enforcement action relating to H&M’s compliance with arms embargoes, strategic goods regulations, or export control regimes in the context of defence trade with Israel.

No public evidence identified of court proceedings, judicial reviews, or formal legal challenges brought against H&M - or against any government licensing authority - in connection with an H&M defence supply relationship with Israel.

No public evidence identified of H&M appearing on any sanctions list maintained by the EU, US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), UN Security Council, or any multilateral body in connection with its Israeli franchise operations.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

Who Profits (database)

Who Profits does not maintain a dedicated company profile for H&M Group or Match Retail Ltd. ²⁰²¹. H&M and Match Retail are referenced solely as “general business clients” in the corporate profiles for G1 Secure Solutions and ENI Advanced Security Solutions; the occupation-related conduct documented in those profiles pertains to the security contractors’ separate state and settlement contracts, not to acts by H&M ²⁰²¹.

UN OHCHR Settlements Database (HRC resolutions 31/36 and 53/25)

H&M is not listed in any edition of the UN OHCHR database of business enterprises involved in activities in Israeli settlements - including the 2020 original publication, the 2023 update, or the September 2025 update, which lists 158 enterprises from 11 countries ²²²³.

UN A/HRC/59/23 - Special Rapporteur Albanese (2 July 2025)

H&M is not named in the Special Rapporteur’s report “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide” ²⁴. Al Jazeera and Law for Palestine summaries of the report’s 48 named corporations confirm that the relevant sectors covered were arms manufacturing, surveillance technology, heavy machinery and construction, natural-resource extraction, financial services, and technology infrastructure; fashion retail was not a focus sector ²⁵²⁶.

PAX - “The Companies Arming Israel and Their Financiers” (June 2024)

H&M is not listed in the PAX for Peace report on European arms-industry financiers and defence prime contractors ²⁷.

BDS Movement boycott (March 2010 - ongoing)

The Palestinian BDS National Committee issued a formal boycott call against H&M in March 2010, coinciding with the opening of the first Israeli H&M store at Malha Mall in Jerusalem ²⁸²⁹. The BDS call grounds the boycott in H&M’s general economic presence in Israel and its contribution to the Israeli economy, and does not allege direct military or defence contracting ²⁸. Twenty-four organisations from Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Palestine, and Israel co-signed calls for H&M to postpone its Israel openings in 2010 ³⁰. Electronic Intifada covered the organised pressure campaign contemporaneously with the March 2010 store opening ³¹. The BDS campaign against H&M intensified following 7 October 2023, with H&M included on consumer boycott lists widely circulated on social media citing its continuing Israeli franchise operations ²⁸³².

Morocco franchise withdrawal (December 2023)

H&M’s Morocco franchise exited the market on or before 15 December 2023 amid broad pro-Palestine consumer pressure across Arab and Muslim-majority markets ³³. Franchise operators officially attributed the exit to “management reasons and structural economic difficulties”; the connection to the pro-Palestine boycott was widely reported but officially denied by franchise operators ³²³³.

OpenIntel Corporate Complicity Dossier

OpenIntel.uk published an H&M Corporate Complicity Dossier (accessed June 2026), explicitly confirming that H&M Group has no direct defence manufacturing, procurement, or contracting operations ⁴. The dossier documents the same conglomerate-level connections through Union Group - regarding Union Motors and Union Tech Ventures / XTEND - addressed in this audit ⁴.

Corporate conduct and response

Following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, H&M’s Israeli franchise stores closed, with a spokesperson indicating they would remain shut “until further notice” ³⁴³⁵. The stores subsequently reopened; as of December 2023, twenty-four H&M stores remained operational in Israel ³⁵. H&M’s 2024 Annual & Sustainability Report does not contain publicly identified disclosures addressing the franchise group’s conglomerate-level connections to XTEND or Union Tech Ventures ². When questioned about protests at the time of the March 2010 Israel store openings, an H&M press relations officer stated: “It is of course up to everyone to have an opinion. We take no position on religious and political issues” ³¹. No formal corporate statement, policy change, franchise contract termination, or end-use monitoring commitment addressing the Union Group / XTEND conglomerate chain has been publicly identified, including in the period following the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 and the ICC arrest warrants issued 21 November 2024 ⁴.

End Notes