Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Gap's big plan for bolstering its flagging sales? Make its US stores more like its international stores.
“We see the international team having a much bigger say in not only how our brands operate in global markets but how they operate in the U.S.,” Gap's chairman and CEO Glenn Murphy said at a conference, reports WWD. Murphy says international influence on Gap's American retail locations “will be fairly noticeable next year and a little bit this holiday."
WWD explains:
Overseas, Gap stores perform better than their dated U.S. counterparts because they’re newer, look fresher and sell some fashion-forward products. About 25 percent of the product line is different from the U.S. stores. In addition, “The U.S. stores buy superconservative,” said one source formerly close to the business. “Gap stores overseas have more of a point of view. Jean fits can be ahead of the curve, and the stores sell more premium products.”We're really excited to see how Gap stores change over the course of the next couple of years. What do you think? What would the Gap have to do to get you back in its stores—and buying—again?In the U.K., Gap has a cashmere program. “Gap in the U.S. never does that,” the source said. “In Japan, the stores are immaculate and really creative. The visual standards are much higher.”
· Gap Bringing Global Approach to U.S. [WWD]