Gap plans to reopen up to 800 stores
Plan follows similar goals of Macy’s, mall operator
Gap, the mall stalwart that owns its namesake brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, said it plans to reopen up to 800 stores in North America by the end of the month as retailers clamor to return to business after temporarily shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our goal is to be responsibly aggressive,” Sonia Syngal, chief executive of Gap, said Tuesday. “Every retailer will have its own opening strategy, but suffice it to say we are looking to open where we’re legally allowed to open as soon as we can.”
The plan follows similar strategies announced in recent weeks by
Macy’s, owner of Bloomingdales and Bluemercury, and Simon Property Group; the biggest mall operator in the United States.
Retailers that sell nonessential goods, especially clothing, have been eager to reopen as their sales have plummeted, promising new safety protocols for the pandemic
era, including plexiglass partitions, hand sanitizer stations and face masks for their employees.
Foot traffic to stores had been down even before the virus outbreak, and it remains to be seen how quickly shoppers will
return to the newly refashioned environments while the country continues to grapple with a highly contagious virus.
Syngal emphasized that most of Gap’s revenue did not come from indoor malls, pointing to Old Navy locations at strip malls, its outlet business and online business. Old Navy, in particular, was “very, very relevant for what people are
wanting right now,” she added, with apparel for families and activewear available at off-mall stores.
Gap said it would start reopening stores this weekend in Texas, though it declined to share the number of locations that would welcome customers. The company said it anticipated 800 reopenings this month. The figure represents nearly one-third of Gap’s locations in North America.
At the chains operated by the Gap, fitting rooms and restrooms will not be available when stores reopen. Returns will be quarantined for 24 hours. The company will encourage, though not require, customers to wear face coverings while shopping, and monitor the flow of customers in stores while encouraging social distancing.