Gap

Gap had another month of disappointing sales. This time it blamed this year's late Labor Day holiday. The big holiday weekend will count toward September's results rather than August, as it has the past three years. Without benefit of Labor Day, Gap reported an overall 3 percent drop in August sales from the prior year, with…

Gap continues to struggle as it reported a drop in second quarter 2015 sales – a sign that their customer base continues to erode. Gap Global reported negative comparable store sales of 6 percent vs. negative 5 percent last year. Banana Republic Global reported negative comparable sales of 4 percent vs. flat last year. Only…

Facing increasing pressure to curb erratic scheduling practices, Gap announced that it would stop requiring employees to make themselves available for last-minute shifts. The move makes Gap the latest retailer to move away from “on-call scheduling,” which regulators, workers’ rights groups and some academics say is detrimental to employees and their families.  

Gap is hooking up with some odd bedfellows these days. The struggling apparel chain is piloting co-branded makeup counters with online beauty subscription service Birchbox, and testing a free delivery service with Virgin Hotels Chicago so that guests can have Gap fashions delivered straight to their hotel room. The Gap’s new flirtation with the high-margin…

Once-iconic American retailer Gap is in trouble. The brand was once so cool that Sharon Stone wore one of its turtlenecks to the Oscars. Today, the company is closing a quarter of its stores amid declining sales. Sales at the brand that once dominated mall retail have declined for 13 straight months, according to Hiroko…

Gap is planning to close 175 stores in North America. Of those, 140 will close this fiscal year, the company announced Monday evening. All of those affected will be regular Gap stores, rather than outlets or factory shops. An undisclosed number of European stores are also set to close. This will leave 800 Gap stores…

Like a smattering of rhinestones on a pair of skinny jeans, Old Navy has emerged as the unexpected sparkle in Gap performance these days. And while the low-cost retailer’s turnaround story is rich in messaging about merchandising, it's equally stocked with lessons in loyalty marketing. Sales at Old Navy rose to $1.4 billion in the…

Ever since former H&M executive Stefan Larsson took over at Old Navy, the brand has been experimenting with shortening its supply chain and working on a quicker production schedule in order to churn out trendier clothes that are more appealing to its customers. Now, Gap has plans to adopt the same strategy.  

Staples is trying to increase its appeal to women by embarking on a new initiative with the city of Boston. The retailer has pledged to work with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to make Boston the best city in the country for working women by signing on to "100 percent Talent: The Boston Women's Compact," an effort to end the gender-based wage gap and advance women in the workforce. "Staples values all of its female associates and understands the important role gender equality plays in fostering an inclusive workplace," said Regis Mulot, Staples’ executive vice president of human resources.

J.Crew failed at women's fashion last year, the company's chief executive admitted on Wednesday. CEO Mickey Drexler provided a candid assessment of what he described as a "lousy year" for J.Crew's women's business in a rare appearance on a conference call with analysts, after overall sales at the brand remained stagnant at around $621 million. "Fashion is guaranteed never to always be right," said Drexler, a veteran retail merchant famed for steering apparel giant Gap through its rise in the 1990s. "That's the only guarantee in my many years of doing this."