GAP to open 40 stores in India in next five years; to start sourcing from India

GAP, the American apparel and accessory brand, is looking torward opening 40 stores in India in the next five years.
CEO – GAP Business, Arvind Lifestyle Brands Limited, Oliver Kaye told Indiaretailing Bureau, “Retail strategy of the brand has been very much around opening brick-and-mortar stores in India. In the last three years, we have opened 11 stores. We are primarily in metros. We started with Delhi and then went to Mumbai and Bengaluru and then we covered Chennai, Pune and Indore.”
He further added, “In terms of the future strategy, we massively believe that there is an opportunity in Tier II cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Lucknow and Kolkata etc.”
From the online point of view, the brand is already present on online portal NNNOW.com and in the next three months, the brand will be launching on one of the largest retail e-commerce platforms in India, which will then enable GAP to be available in 95 per cent of the country.
However, Kaye refused to divulge the name of the e-commerce player.
Other Omnichannel Initiatives
GAP, which is known for opening brick-and-store at prime locations close to their competitors and always prefer ground floor location, has been pioneer in introducing many Omnichannel strategies.
Elaborating the other Omnichannel initiatives taken by the brand, Kaye said, “The Omnichannel initiatives that GAP has taken are that the customers can buy online and collect from store or buy from store and get it delivered home. We were the first and only retailer to offer a true Omnichannel experience. We also provide other facilities like if the stock is not available at the store, sales advisor can check its availability in a nearby store by checking the inventory online and get that delivered to the store or can deliver it directly to the house of the customer.”
Future Plans
GAP, which has an average store size of 5,000-6,000 sq.ft., is looking forward to lower the prices further in India.
“GAP is around 15 per cent cheaper in India as compared to the US. In the next year, we will not only start local sourcing but also designing and manufacturing in India. And that is the first time that GAP has given any franchisee that opportunity in the world. And when once we will start doing that we will lower our prices further for the consumers.”
Arvind Lifestyles Brands, a subsidiary of Arvind, has exclusive rights to sell GAP brand in India in both offline and online retail. However, it is struggling in the US market with store closures.