North Africa

Saudi Arabia — Children’s retailer Naartjie Kids said Thursday it opened its first Saudi Arabia flagship store on July 9 in the Riyadh Gallery Mall. The company said six additional Saudi Arabia stores are slated to open this month. It is the retailer’s first foray into franchising, and will expand its global retail presence beyond the U.S. and South Africa into the Middle East and North Africa. The initial opening of seven Saudi Arabia stores is part of an exclusive multiyear licensing agreement with Fawaz Alhokair & Co. based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Alhokair partnership includes the opening

Gap said it's establishing an international division based in London to ramp up overseas growth. The company will open its first Old Navy stores abroad — in Japan — by 2012 and said it's set a goal for international and online sales to make up 30 percent of its total by 2013, up from 22 percent in 2010 and 14 percent in 2006.