Gap is launching a new creator affiliate and advocacy platform, leaning on smaller influencers. Will this gamble pay off?

Gap has named music mogul Jody Gerson to its board. Does this move make sense?

GapStudio blends expert tailoring with the classic American style the line is known for.

The fall denim drop leans into a decade when baggy jeans were all the rage.

Gap Inc. has appointed celebrity fashion designer Zac Posen as executive vice president and creative director with a particular emphasis on reviving Old Navy. Is this move a major triumph for Gap?

Gap’s CEO says that while all four of the company’s brands have incredible heritage, they need a clearer point of view. What advice would you have for Gap Inc.’s new CEO?

Banana Republic has introduced BR Home, a whole-home business that encompasses bedroom, living room, and dining room furniture as well as lighting and home décor. Do furniture and home goods make sense for Banana Republic?

Old Navy is offering a one-year “Kid-Proof” return guarantee for uniform styles purchased during the upcoming back-to-school season that “don’t stand up to the wear and tear of a school year.” What do you think of Old Navy’s guarantee?

Gap Inc. is laying off 1,800 corporate workers in a restructuring that will make it more agile, according to the apparel retailer.

Old Navy’s focus on “execution discipline” has helped it in “identifying areas of opportunities for organizational efficiency.”

Bath & Body Works, among several chains reorienting their footprint away from malls, added 95 off-mall North American stores in 2022 and plans to open approximately 90 more in 2023. Does the growth opportunity for traditional mall-based chains still appear bigger off-mall or is the view of enclosed shopping malls overly pessimistic?

Gap has formed a partnership with Ware2Go, a UPS-owned digital platform that matches merchants with on-demand available warehouse space and fulfillment services. Do you see more benefits than risks for smaller brands and retailers in outsourcing logistics and fulfillment to Gap and other retailers?

Retail’s long-struggling “mushy middle,” consisting of mid-price retailers without a strong value proposition and brand identity, has taken a bigger holiday hit than more strongly differentiated retailers, according to one retail expert. Do you see selling discounted packaway merchandise significantly damaging chains in the “mushy middle” of retailing?

Described as a “nightmare before Christmas” by The Wall Street Journal, Macy’s and Kohl’s saw an unexpected sales slowdown in October and early November, leaving questions about whether holiday gifting is being delayed or cut back in a hyper-inflationary period. How worrisome should the late holiday purchasing trend be for department stores?

Gap is for sale on Amazon.com. Gap made “thousands” of its items available last week at Amazon.com/Gap with the promise of “fast, free Prime delivery.” Does the Gap or Amazon gain more from their new selling partnership?

Retailers are shortening their returns windows and even charging return fees to mitigate rising costs. Are free return policies becoming too costly?

Adidas yesterday ended its partnership with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, following a series of antisemitic remarks he has made recently in multiple forums. Will the Adidas brand be negatively affected by what some saw as a a slow response to Ye’s antisemitic comments?

After finding success over the last several years selling holiday-themed family pajama sets for Halloween, Christmas and Easter, The Children’s Place has launched PJ Place, a sleepwear lifestyle brand. Are pajamas a big enough opportunity for The Children’s Place to build a lifestyle brand around?

Gap Inc. is cutting 500 corporate jobs as it continues to search for a permanent CEO and it seeks to come up with answers to buoy its top and bottom lines following a second quarter that saw it report a 10 percent decline in comp sales and a net loss of $49 million. What do you see as Gap Inc.’s current strengths and weaknesses?

Gap and American Eagle Outfitters have joined Amazon, Walmart and Target in peddling logistics services to third-party retailers. But there are concerns over their ability to recruit prospective customers due to data privacy qualms and competitive reasons. What do you think of the opportunities for Gap and American Eagle Outfitters as 3PL providers?

Lululemon raised its outlook for the year after reporting second-quarter results that came in well above expectations. The stellar performance came despite concerns over promotions across the apparel space and a slowdown in the athleisure category. What’s driving the recent outperformance by Lululemon?

Gap, Express and Kohl’s are among the retailers getting ready to employ packaway sales to reduce the markdown blow of last holiday’s late deliveries. Has packaway become a more standard and less risky practice for full-price retailers looking to maximize inventory clearance?

Sonia Syngal is out as CEO of Gap Inc. Ms. Syngal, who stepped down from her position and from the board, effective immediately, will leave the company after a brief transition.  What will it take to fix Gap Inc.?

Tanger Outlets and Simon Property Group have both recently renewed investments in building outlet centers as inflation has consumers on the hunt for savings. What’s your outlook for outlet centers?

Shares of Gap Inc. plunged 18 percent on Friday after the mall-based clothing giant announced the exit of Old Navy’s CEO, Nancy Green, and lowered its guidance. Do you see Old Navy’s current problems as a short-term blip or requiring a longer-term fix?

It has been decades since Gap drove fashion trends, but the chain clearly wants to get back to a more fashionable direction, announcing that it is getting in on trending technology in collaboration with a huge name in contemporary art.  Do you think the steps Gap has been taking can make it a cool brand again?

Gap last week found itself defending its plan to air freight 35 percent of its holiday range and absorb $450 million in related costs to help offset supply chain challenges. Do you applaud Gap’s move to accelerate investments in air freight to support holiday demand?

Retailers are expected to reduce the number of items they put on sale this holiday season, and the discounts that are offered will probably be much closer to everyday prices than they’ve been in the past. Do you expect reduced discounting to hold throughout the holiday season?

Gap Inc. has acquired a tech start-up that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to improve the customer experience and drive sales through predictive analytics and demand sensing.  Where do you see tech investments by Gap and other retailers heading?

Banana Republic is launching a new brand identity and positioning — “winking at its heritage while reinventing itself for today’s modern world.” Can Banana Republic’s original safari positioning help the chain recraft its identity 43 years later?

Gap Inc. announced yesterday that it has integrated the rewards issued under its various banners into a single program, making it easier and faster for its multi-brand loyalists to earn points and reap benefits.  Will Gap’s new rewards program complement other actions the retailer is taking to solidify its operations and boost its various brand profiles?

The value of flagships has often been questioned, with many promoted more for their branding benefits than four-wall profitability.  Have flagships become less worthwhile given pandemic-related challenges and the shift to omnichannel retailing?

Gap and Walmart are teaming up. In a newly announced partnership, Walmart will sell Gap Home — a new brand of bedding, bath and other home essentials. What do you think the newly announced Gap Home deal will mean for the Gap and Walmart brands?

Gap Inc.’s Athleta business is on a roll. The women and girl’s athleisure clothing chain will open in the Canadian market for the first time later this year. The move will mark Athleta’s initial foray outside the U.S. Will Athleta’s business model in the U.S. translate to the Canadian market?

Gap Inc. said it will prioritize online fulfillment to its biggest spenders as part of its upgraded loyalty program. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks in prioritizing online fulfillment to a retailer’s best customers?

Sephora and Bath & Body Works have announced plans to aggressively open off-mall locations in 2021. The moves come as traffic woes impact enclosed malls and strip malls, lifestyle centers and retailers turn to open-air locations that offer a social distancing advantage. Will the shift toward off-mall locations outlive the pandemic?

LVMH is instructing Tiffany’s corporate staff to return to offices two days a week beginning at the start of March. Do you see most corporate workers returning to offices as the pandemic eases, continuing to work remotely or shifting to a hybrid set-up?

The marketers at the Gap released a Twitter post of a hoodie, half blue and half red, that was not of an actual item for sale, but just imagery to support an aspirational message.  Do you agree that Gap made a social media mistake with its unity hoodie tweet?

Despite the stream of negative news this year, 63 percent of consumers said the holidays will still be a time of joy with Gen Z and Millennials looking forward to the season far more than older generations, according to a recent survey. What themes should this year’s holiday campaigns embrace?

Gap Inc. is getting out of Dodge and just about any other place where it has a store located in a mall.  What do you think of Gap Inc.’s plan to cut store counts and move its Gap and Banana Republic chains out of malls?

The practice of virtually hiring and onboarding seasonal help has been on the rise in recent years as online technology advances, but this holiday season, due to COVID-19, it has become the primary option for many retailers. Will the quality of retail’s seasonal staff be impacted by the shift toward virtual hiring and onboarding?

A number of retailers and brands made diversity pledges when the #MeToo movement gained momentum in 2017 and recently they’ve upgraded and amplified those commitments in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.  Do you think making racial diversity progress will be easier or harder than achieving gender goals?

On Friday, Gap’s shares vaulted 19 percent after the retailer announced a partnership with Kanye West to produce the YEEZY Gap apparel collection, set to arrive in Gap stores and Gap.com in 2021. Does the YEEZY Gap collaboration have the potential to drive a resurgence for the Gap chain?

Gap Inc. plans to pack and hold summer, transitional fall and fall merchandise that doesn’t sell due to store closures and potentially lower demand until the next year’s selling season. What are the pros and cons of a pack-and-hold strategy to manage inventory imbalances caused by the pandemic?

The ability to have customers return merchandise, try on clothes in fitting rooms and even touch merchandise has been clouded by concerns over the transmission of COVID-19. How should retailers manage returns, fitting rooms and other product-related contamination risks?

Apparel retailers are struggling with lockdown restrictions, but those that were already struggling before have an extra tough road ahead of them — and that includes Gap Inc. Now, Gap is looking for growth outside of apparel. Is it wise for Gap Inc. to move into home décor and other non-apparel categories?

With scores of retailers introducing curbside pickup and continuing to offer it as stores reopen, more consumers are getting accustomed to the convenience of the service overall. Has curbside pickup become a bigger opportunity amid the pandemic or do you see it as a temporary solution for most retailers?

Gap Inc. didn’t have to look far for a new chief executive to replace its former CEO, Art Peck. The specialty clothing retailer has announced that Sonia Syngal, CEO of Old Navy since 2016, will be the next executive to lead the company. Is Sonia Syngal the right executive to lead Gap Inc. at this time?

Citing “the dramatic shift to online shopping in specific markets,” Bose announced plans to close its remaining 119 retail stores across North America, Europe, Japan and Australia over the next several months. Does Bose’s move to close its locations in more mature markets make sense?

At a session last week at the NRF Big Show, which explored how to motivate risk-taking and drive innovation within organizations, one priority is getting “very top level” buy-in for strategic priorities. What advice would you have around risk-taking and instilling an innovation culture?