Is franchising a new lifeline for Gap?

The editorial team is offering you free access to this article
Start your free 15-day trial to access all our content

The American clothing chain plans to close 120 stores in Europe and 350 in the United States (with a total of 3,345 worldwide in February 2020). The European business is operating 70 stores in France, Italy, Ireland and Britain, representing a turnover of US$525 million (data as of February 2020). According to the Financial Times, the group is reliant on a franchise formula, which is less capital-intensive, to continue developing brands. Franchising currently represents 400 stores operating in 35 countries.

Do you have information to share with us?
Our other services
mind Research
Strategic Intelligence: Tailored research and market analysis services to power your insights and back your strategic decisions.
See more
mind Days
Networking & Events: Half-day conferences covering key industry topics and open to the entire ecosystem.
See more
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Retail media: Fnac Darty, Klépierre and Médiaperformances accelerate on XXL screens and international expansion
As advertising formats arrive at high speed on LLMs, omnichannel retail media players are strengthening their offerings. While Klépierre has just signed with a new partner for 3D screens...
11 September 2026
Hugues Chanoine (Hygie31 Digital): “The next step is to eliminate filters to move to 100% conversational search”
The Hygie31 retail group, known for the Lafayette Pharmacies, is continuing to transform its websites, driven by Cocooncenter. Thanks to an AI strategy and a fully redesigned IT architecture, it...
ChatGPT: Bureau Vallée’s recipe to capture back-to-school spending
By launching a conversational chatbot with Algolia and a new module converting school lists into e-commerce carts this summer, Bureau Vallée aims to ease the chore of back-to-school supply list...
With Claudeforce, Salesforce opens data to Anthropic and shifts into the conversational AI era
With the announcement of deep integration of the Claude LLM within the Salesforce ecosystem via MCP servers, SaaS software interfaces are fading in favour of AI agents. According to...
9 September 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind Retail
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Before an IPO, Shein forced to reveal margin erosion in 2025 and impact of US tariff shock
Made public ahead of a Hong Kong listing planned for September, Shein’s financial documents, seen by mind Retail, confirm the shift experienced by the fast-fashion retailer. Despite a 8% sales...