Next to open Gap concession in Oxford St store on Monday

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 10, 2022

The Gap brand is set to make its physical comeback in the UK next week. The US casualwear label, which closed all of its UK physical stores last year to become a pureplay outline retailer, will open a concession at the newly refurbished Next Oxford Street London flagship store on 14 March.

Next currently hold the licence to operate a Gap webstore in the UK under its Next Total Platform operation, but is now opening a physical section at the store at 120-128 Oxford Street.

The brand will join other banners under the Next webstore remit, including Lipsy, Sockshop, O2 and Paperchase at the Oxford Street store.

The London store concession comes ahead of Next’s planned openings of department store-style flagships at the Atria shopping centre in Watford in April, measuring nearly 95,000 sq ft, and at Manchester’s Trafford Centre mall featuring a 65,000 sq ft store opening in November. They will feature a range of fashion, beauty, homewares own- and third-party brands.

In a statement given to TheIndustry, Mark Breitbard, CEO and President of Gap Global, said: “Gap is partnering with Next, one of the UK’s leading online clothing retailers, to amplify our omnichannel business and meet our customers in UK & Ireland where they are shopping now.”