American Apparel and Accessories Retailer GAP Comes Back to The British High Street With NEXT

In a recent news release, Gap Inc. and NEXT Plc announced the launch of the first Gap-branded shop-in-shop inside NEXT's biggest West End store on London's Oxford Street.

This marks the first milestone in the two firms' joint venture franchise agreement to handle Gap's e-commerce operations and Gap-branded shop-in-shops at NEXT sites. 

The central London store solidifies Gap's physical comeback to the British high street.

With approximately 4,000 square feet of retail space, the Gap store exemplifies the brand's reimagined approach to retail in the United Kingdom with an open, contemporary, and basic design. 

Customers may purchase curated collections of enhanced daily staples for women, men, and children, including denim, fleece, khakis, shirting, and famous trademark products. All Gap clients will also have access to a personalization store that will include embroidery, badging, and monogramming.

Officially launched in September 2021, the joint venture ("JV") was created to leverage a strong local collaboration to efficiently build the Gap company in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The joint venture is a critical component of Gap Inc.'s 'partner to amplify' strategy, which focuses on partnering with best-in-class firms who are market experts to reach new and current consumers while also supporting the company in novel and cost-effective ways. 

As the biggest online clothes retailer in the United Kingdom, NEXT Plc is capable of engaging consumers via sophisticated omni-channel platforms that increase Gap's market reach.

The Oxford Street location marks a significant milestone in the first phase of the launch plan to re-establish Gap's brick-and-mortar presence in the market, with work currently underway to migrate Gap's e-commerce business to NEXT Total Platform and integrate strong operational capabilities later this year, including a comprehensive click-and-collect service, next-day delivery, and a variety of customer service options.

"I am overjoyed at the prospect of these two iconic brands collaborating to relaunch the Gap brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and especially at the prospect of bringing Gap's Modern, American Optimism to our customers at our new London store at 120 Oxford Street,"

"Through our joint venture with NEXT Plc, we look forward to continuing to build the Gap business in the UK,"

"By partnering with market-leading, omni-channel retailers like NEXT Plc, we are able to amplify and deliver our relevant, purpose-driven brand to our consumers in the UK and Ireland at a faster pace, with more agility, and with superior customer care than ever before."