PA copyright image Gap, the American apparel retailer, has stated that it will close all of its 81 shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland and shift entirely online. Between the end of August and the end of September, the company claimed it would close all of its outlets “in a staged way.” This includes 19 businesses that were set to close in July because their leases were coming to an end. The company has not said how many employees will be affected by the closures, but it will begin a dialogue process with employees soon. The company stated that it was “not exiting the UK market” and that it would maintain a web-based store once all of the stores had closed. According to a Gap representative, the decision was made after a strategic evaluation of the company’s European operations. Gap is also considering to sell its stores in France and Italy as a result of this. The company stated that it was in talks with another company to take over all of its French locations. Gap said it was in talks with a partner in Italy about the possibility of buying the outlets. “Gap’s global brand power is something we believe in. We’re following Gap’s Power Plan and collaborating to expand our worldwide reach “According to the spokeswoman. “We have no plans to leave the UK market. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, we will continue to run and operate our Gap e-commerce company.” Since the pandemic-enforced lockdowns, a source close to the company said, the company has witnessed a rapid rise of internet shopping for its clothing in the UK. The action is the latest blow to UK high streets, which are already reeling from the pandemic’s collapse of the Debenhams and Arcadia retail empires. After being purchased by retailer Boohoo for £55 million in January, the Debenhams brand has continued online, and now Gap has joined the ranks of brick-and-mortar clothing retailers that have gone online. RetailingCompaniesFashion/n
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