Gap Goes Fourth

Forth & Towne is the name of the newest retail concept for 35+ women

(VisualStore.com) - Gap Inc. (San Francisco) has announced that Forth & Towne is the name of the company’s new women’s apparel retail concept. Forth & Towne represents the fourth, and newest, concept in Gap Inc.’s family of brands, which includes Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy.

“Launching the brand Forth & Towne, which focuses on women over age 35, represents an important long-term growth opportunity for Gap Inc.,” said Gap president and ceo Paul Pressler.

Forth & Towne will launch in four test stores in the Chicago market and one in New York in the fall of 2005. It will offer a broad range of sizes, with a focus on fit, and assortments that serve a variety of occasions.

“We created an address with the name ‘Forth & Towne’ because we wanted it to evoke a sense of place -- to signify a special and unique shopping destination,” explained Gary Muto, president of the new division. “ ‘Forth’ references our fourth brand and ‘Towne’ conveys a sense of community that we want to create for our customers when they shop with us.”

Women over the age of 35, a rapidly growing segment of the population, is said to have, as a group, a spending power that accounts for about 39 percent of women’s total apparel expenditures.