Gap Is Shuttering All Its Stores In The UK & Ireland
Image via BGStock72 / Shutterstock.com
Gap will shut down all of its 81 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland by the end of September this year. This comes as the brand adjusts to changes in shopping trends since the pandemic, choosing to go fully online instead.
This marks the end of a long spell in the UK, considering Gap opened its first retail outlet outside the US in London in 1987. It has also been present in Ireland since 2006.
According to CNN, the American clothing retailer, which also owns brands such as Old Navy and Banana Republic, said all company-operated stores will be shutting down.
Stateside, Gap had previously announced a three-year plan in October to shutter a third of its retail stores, shifting to the e-commerce space which has seen a boom since the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has not commented on how many employees are expected to lose their jobs due to the shutdown.
“We are thoughtfully moving through the consultation process with our European team, and we will provide support and transition assistance for our colleagues as we look to wind down stores,” Gap said.
[via CNN, cover image via BGStock72 / Shutterstock.com]
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