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High street retail giant Gap has announced it will be closing all stores in Ireland and the UK by the end of 2021 with the estimated loss of more than 1,000 jobs.
The company said it intends to take business online “in a phased manner” from the end of August through to the end of September this year.
It added it would provide “support and transition assistance” to colleagues following the closures. It did not specify how many employees had been affected but it estimated estimated to employ at least 20 people in each outlet.
The retailer has been active in the Republic of Ireland since 2006 while it has had stores in the in the UK since 1987.
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In the Republic, the chain has a concession in Arnotts in Dublin and a standalone store in Dundrum Town Centre, as well as outlet units in a retail park near Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin and in the Crescent shopping centre in Limerick.
It also has three units in the North: stores in Belfast and Antrim, and an outlet in Banbridge, Co Down.
The announcement comes following a strategic review aimed at “finding new, more cost-effective ways to maintain a presence and serve customers in Europe”.
Gap said on Wednesday that it is also aiming to sell off its stores in Italy and France, to be run by different franchise operators, as part of the review. The latest closures come after Gap’s parent group closed all its Banana Republic stores in the UK in 2016. The US brand has struggled to find distinctive appeal in the highly competitive UK market.
Online business
In a statement, Gap said: “In the United Kingdom and Europe, we are going to maintain our Gap online business.
“The e-commerce business continues to grow and we want to meet our customers where they are shopping.
“We’re becoming a digital first business and we’re looking for a partner to help drive our online business.
“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.
“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.” – PA/Guardian
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