Gap to return to UK retail, plots three new standalone stores

Gap is set to return to brick-and-mortar retail in the UK with the opening of three new standalone stores.

According to Drapers, the brand, which had shuttered its UK and Ireland stores back in 2021, has plotted new locations across London in a bid to grow and elevate its store footprint in the region.

Its new sites are located in Westfield London, due December 4; Wembley Park’s London Designer Outlet, coming December 18; and Covent Garden, opening November 7.

The latter will serve as the brand’s UK flagship, championing Gap’s heritage by merging music, records and culture. All locations will reportedly stock womenswear, menswear and childrenswear collections, Drapers suggested.

For Gap, the string of openings are part of a wider brand reinvigoration, the media outlet said, building on efforts to “connect with customers through meaningful shopping experiences”.

The brand’s reintroduction to the UK’s physical retail market comes years after it closed its 81 stores, citing at the time “market dynamics” and plans to become “digital first”.

It has since established a joint venture with Next, which holds a 51 percent stake in ownership and now operates the brand’s e-commerce business. By 2022, Next sought to open Gap shop-in-shops within four of its own stores.