is the largest specialty
Retail er in the
United States . Their headquarters are located in
San Francisco ,
California . Its namesake chain, '''Gap''' (originally '''The Gap'''), operates in the U.S. as well as in
Canada ,
United Kingdom ,
France , and
Japan . Gap Inc. also owns and runs the
Old Navy ,
Banana Republic , and
Forth & Towne Clothing store chains.
Gap was founded in for Guys and Gals." Around
1982 , Gap began focusing on its own
Private Label clothing and by
1991 –
1992 , the company had stopped carrying Levi's.
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As of
April 2 ,
2005 , Gap Inc. had approximately 150,000 employees and operated 3,005 stores worldwide.
Donald Fisher retired as Chairman of the Board in 2004 and was replaced by his son, Robert Fisher. The Fisher family collectively owns about 25% of the company. The current
CEO of Gap is
Paul Pressler , who previously ran the
Disney Theme Parks .
Banana Republic , formerly a catalog retailer selling safari themed clothing, was purchased by the company in 1983, and eventually was rebranded as an upscale clothing retailer.
Old Navy was launched in 1994, as a value chain with a specialty flair.
In
December of
1995 , Gap became the first major North American retailer to accept independent monitoring of the
Working Conditions in a contract factory producing its garments. This acceptance came after an international campaign of media criticism and consumer pressure that was organized in
Canada by the
Maquila Solidarity Network and the Ontario District Council of the
Union Of Needletrades, Industrial And Textile Employees (UNITE). In the
United States the campaign was coordinated by the
National Labor Committee .
In
2004 , Gap sold all of its German operations to the Swedish
H&M , its main competitor in Europe.
In
September 2004 , Gap announced the launch of a new chain called
Forth & Towne ; its first location opened on
August 24 ,
2005 , in the
Palisades Center in
West Nyack, New York . The chain's selection will be targeted at women older than 35. (
More Information )
Current members of the ,
Adrian Bellamy ,
Domenico De Sole ,
Donald Fisher ,
Doris F. Fisher ,
Robert J. Fisher ,
Penelope Hughes ,
Bob L. Martin ,
Jorge Montoya ,
Paul Pressler ,
James Schneider ,
Mayo Shattuck , and
Margaret Whitman .
Gap has received mounting
criticism over working conditions in its factories. During the spring of 2003 Gap, along with 21 other companies, was involved in a class action lawsuit filed by
Sweatshop workers in
Saipan . The allegations included "off the clock" hours, where workers were not paid for working overtime, unsafe working conditions, and
forced abortion policies . A settlement of 20 million dollars was reached, but Gap contends that the allegations were without merit, saying that lumping the companies together in one lawsuit was unfair. See also:
statements on social responsibility from Gap .
- Gap
- Gap Outlet
- GapKids
- babyGap
- GapBody
- Gapmaternity
- GapAccessories
- The Gap Warehouse (forerunner to Old Navy, which opened in 1994)
- GapMen
- SuperGap
In 1998, Gap commissioned
Music Video Director Mike Mills to make a set of visually striking ads to promote their
Khaki s. They introduced the white
Letterbox format that has become the signature style of their commercials to date. In addition to the unique visual elements and the use of popular music, the commercials are also notable for introducing the American public to
Time Slice Photography , more commonly known as "bullet-time" in their commercial "Khakis Swing", a year before the technology would become popularized by
The Matrix .
Phantom Planet frontman
Alex Greenwald became the popular face of many television commercials for Gap.
Recently, Gap has begun to use celebrity spokesmodels in their television advertisements, including
Kenny Wayne Shepherd ,
Daft Punk ,
Madonna ,
JC Chasez ,
Missy Elliot ,
Lenny Kravitz ,
Sarah Jessica Parker ,
Tweet ,
Mary J Blige ,
Joss Stone ,
Jason Mraz ,
Alanis Morrisette and
Michelle Williams (singer) .
Product Red is an initiative begun by
Rock Singer Bono and
Bobby Shriver of DATA (
Debt AIDS Trade In Africa ) to raise money for the
Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis And Malaria . Shriver is
CEO of Product Red.
The initiative was announced at the
World Economic Forum in
Davos ,
Switzerland on
January 26 ,
2006 .
Product Red is a
Brand which is licensed to
Gap as well as other companies such as
American Express ,
Converse , and
Giorgio Armani . Each company will create a product with the Product Red logo, and 1%-50% of the money paid for each item will go to the Global Fund depending on the company and the item in question.
The Gap product will be a line of
T Shirt s made in the
Africa n country of
Lesotho from African-grown
Cotton .
Gap has described the new initiative: "How we do business is as important as what we do. Gap (RED) takes what we do best—creating great products that people love—and channels it into positive change. In addition to sharing Gap (RED) profits with the Global Fund, we're also investing in Africa by making some of our products there."
In support of Product RED, Gap is creating a special RED collection, starting with the iconic Gap T-shirt entirely made in Africa with 50% of profits going to the Global Fund. The vintage-style shirt is being made for both men and women and will come in red and a range of other colors. The Red T will be available in the US and UK in Spring 2006.
An enhanced collection of classic Gap items featuring RED-inspired details will be launched in the US and UK in Fall 2006.
