Gap關閉175家分店，力拼轉型 | Gap closing 175 stores to be more 'vibrant'

Gap關閉175家分店，力拼轉型

全美最大服裝連鎖集團Gap宣布，未來幾年內將關閉北美地區175間同名品牌分店，今(2015)年將裁減總部250個職位。該公司先前已透露有意轉型，發展品牌電子商務，建立行動商務銷售通道，以改善實體店面銷售疲弱的問題。

該公司表示，今年有140間Gap同名品牌分店關閉，不涉及Gap Outlet。至於其他子品牌Banana Republic、Old Navy、Intermix及Athleta也不受影響。未來北美地區將剩下800間Gap品牌分店。

同時，部分歐洲分店也將關閉。Gap在全球50個國家有1,600間分店與特許經營店。近幾年Gap面臨嚴峻的業績挑戰，今年第一季銷售同期比下滑10%，子品牌Piperlime也在最近歇業。

新任執行長佩克（Art Peck）日前表示，未來Gap將進入3.0零售模式，重點發展品牌電子商務、行動商務銷售通道。一旦具體的策略實施，將「不可避免」地關閉或者縮小一部分店面。

Gap主要針對舊金山總部進行裁員。截至今(2015)年1月，Gap在全球約有14萬1,000名員工。這項重整計畫將耗資1億5,000萬美元。

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【新聞來源：台灣紡拓會】

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Gap closing 175 stores to be more 'vibrant'

Gap announced Monday it will close a quarter of its stores and cut 250 corporate jobs as it tries to chart the clothing brand back toward growth.

The company will close 175 stores across North America, not including outlets or factory stores, based on store performance. There will be additional store closures at European locations. About 140 stores will close this year. Gap will continue to operate about 500 Gap stores, plus 300 outlet stores.

Gap has been struggling to entice customers amid competition from fast fashion brands. Same-store sales fell 10% in the first quarter, compared with a 5% drop in the year-ago quarter.

"We're focused on offering consistent, on-brand product collections and enhancing the customer experience across all of our channels, including a smaller, more vibrant fleet of stores," said Jeff Kirwan, global president for Gap, in a statement.

The store closures are part of a larger trend by mall-based brands to reduce store locations, says Simeon Siegel, retail equity analyst at Nomura. Macy's, J.C. Penney, Deb Shops, RadioShack, Sears and Wet Seal are all among brands that have or are planning to close stores.

"It's more a continuation of what's already been going on," Siegel says. "Your biggest competitor used to be your neighbor in the mall. Right now your biggest competitor is the infinite number of random start-up websites. You just don't need as many bricks and mortar locations."

Gap declined to say how many employees will be affected by the store closures. Spokesman Sean Piazza says the company is still defining which locations will close. Piazza also declined to say how many people work at the company's corporate offices, where 250 jobs will be cut, primarily in New York and San Francisco.

The corporate cuts are about increasing productivity and efficiency in decision making, Piazza says.

"This came out of an evaluation of the business," he says. "It allows the brand to focus on key store locations, drive productivity and also speed within our headquarters locations."

Gap expects to lose about $300 million in sales due to the store closures and incur one-time costs of $140 million to $160 million on things like lease buyouts and writing off inventory.

Gap stores have experienced slumping sales in the past year as fashions have failed to drive traffic. Creative director Rebekka Bay was let go in January, and the company eliminated her position, instead relying on a senior design team.

"Right now they're basically like a ship without a captain," says Jessica Bornn, a senior analyst with retail research firm Merchant Forecast. "There's no major creative design force behind the collection. They haven't interpreted any of the trends of the season."

Bornn views the store closures as a positive for the brand, which she says has too many locations in underperforming malls.

"The number of stores a retailer should have today as a mature chain has changed," she says. "Maybe by increasing the scarcity, that can start to improve and drive traffic to the stores."

Original Article: USA Today