Gap to make Mainland China debut

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. is bringing its Old Navy brand to China, with the opening of a store on March 1 on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing West Road.



The 22,000 –sq.-ft., three-level Shanghai Old Navy store is located in the Jing’an District, a major commercial area known for shopping, sightseeing, hotels and office buildings that draws thousands of locals and overseas visitors. The store features iconic elements from Old Navy’s U.S. flagship and such interactive features as touch-screen video games and game tables.



“We plan to open a total of five stores in China in fiscal 2014, starting with the Shanghai store,” said Robert Frank, Old Navy’s executive VP international. “With our China entry, continued growth in Canada and Japan and the launch of our franchise business in the Philippines next month, we are well positioned to grow our share of the global retail apparel market.”



The entry into the Chinese market follows Old Navy’s successful launch in Japan in 2012. Old Navy plans to open about 25 additional stores this year in Japan, bringing the total number of stores in the country to approximately 43 by the end of 2014.