The Gap brand is back on the high street, with the first shop-in-shop within Next’s largest West End store on London’s Oxford Street marking the first milestone of the joint venture franchise relationship between the two companies.
As the largest brand shop within the store – covering over 4,000 square feet of retail space – the Gap store aims to embody the brand’s reinvented approach to retail in the UK with an open, modern and minimal design.
Customers can shop curated collections of elevated everyday essentials including denim, fleece, khakis, shirting and iconic logo product for women, men and children. A customisation shop offering embroidery, badging and monogramming will also be available to all Gap customers.
Officially announced in September 2021, the joint venture was formed to effectively grow the Gap business in the UK and Republic of Ireland through a strong local partnership.
The Oxford Street opening is a major milestone within the first phase of the launch plan to re-establish Gap’s bricks and mortar presence in the market. Work is also underway to migrate Gap’s e-commerce business to NEXT Total Platform as well as integrate strong operational capabilities including a comprehensive click and collect service, next-day delivery, plus a variety of customer service options later this year.
“We look forward to continue growing the Gap business in the UK through our joint venture with Next,” commented Adrienne Gernand, md of international, global licensing and wholesale at Gap. “Partnering with market leading, omni-channel retailers like Next allows us to amplify and deliver our relevant, purpose-driven brand to meet our customers in the UK and Ireland – and with greater speed, agility and customer services than ever before.”
Jon Jeffery, md of the JV, continued: “I am so excited at the coming together of these two iconic businesses to relaunch the Gap brand in the UK and Ireland, and in particular I’m thrilled at the opportunity to bring Gap’s Modern, American Optimism to our customers at our new London store at 120 Oxford Street.”
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