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Gap, the American fashion giant, has announced its return to the British high street with three new stores set to open in London before Christmas. The company will open its new flagship shop in Covent Garden, Westminster on November 6, followed by branches inside Westfield London in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, on December 4 and the London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park, Brent, on December 12. According to fashion magazine Drapers, all locations will stock a range of womenswear, menswear and children’s clothing, including jeans, T-shirts and fleeces. Gap, which is based in San Francisco, opened its first company-run international store in Britain back in 1987. The business closed all of its UK branches four years ago due to “market dynamics”. The business also continued to trade online despite its closures. At the time, a Gap spokesman said: "Due to market dynamics in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, we shared with our team today that we are proposing to close all company-operated Gap Specialty and Gap Outlet stores in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in a phased manner from the end of August through the end of September 2021. “We are thoughtfully moving through the consultation process with our European team, and we will provide support and transition assistance for our colleagues as we look to wind down stores." Gap currently boasts four shop-in-shop concepts within Next stores in the UK, including in Oxford Street. It also has more than 40 concessions in Next branches across England and Ireland. The partnership is 51 per cent owned by Next and 49 per cent by Gap. Gap joins a host of other retailers making a return to the high street after a period of closure, with Topshop returning within John Lewis stores in 2026. The Centre for Retail Research reported that last year, nearly 13,500 retail outlets closed in Britain — equivalent to more than 35 shops every day. However, recent figures from the British Retail Consortium showed that in the four weeks from April 6 to May 3, high street footfall in the UK increased by 5.3 per cent year‑on‑year.
