Gap poised to enter Slovenia and Austria

Gap Inc. continues its ongoing expansion phase as the American group prepares to launch its Gap fashion label in Slovenia and Austria. The announcement comes three months after the group revealed its strategy to conquer the Chinese market. “We are thrilled to be opening in Slovenia

and Austria and can’t wait to meet customers when we open our doors for the first time in each capital city,” commented Ismail Seyis, vice president of Gap Franchise.

“One of the best things about opening in a new country is the incredible welcome that Gap receives and the buzz that generates for our teams and our customers alike.”

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p set to open franchise stores in Austria and Slovenia

The group is set to introduce Gap in these new markets through agreements with both new and existing franchise partners. Gap Inc. had signed a deal with Magistrat International to launch in Slovenia and Gottex Brands, which currently oversees the Gap franchise business in Hungary and Israel to bring the label to Austria.

“Gap is known all over the world and we have grown our store presence significantly in recent years to help bring our casual style to more and more customers,” said Steve Sunnucks, Gap brand president, in a statement.

Gap Inc. is set to open three stores in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Two free standing stores will be opened in City Park, the country's largest shopping center, one for adults and one for children. The third will be an Emporium department store and offering Gap's full range. All stores are set to open by September this year.

The group also aims to open its first store in Vienna, Austria this year by October. The store will be located in the Donauzentrum Mall and offer the brand full product assortment.

“We launched into five new markets last year; Hungary, Paraguay Peru, Brazil and Costa Rica, and with the opening of stores in Slovenia and Austria we now bring our iconic brand to customers through stores in almost 50 countries,” concluded Sunnucks.

Gap Inc. has continued to expand its labels since the launch of its first franchised stores in 2006. Over the past eight years Gap Inc. has increased its franchised store base and currently has over 300 franchise stores around the globe.