| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
The Gap is the largest specialty retailer in the United States. Their headquarters are located in San Francisco, California. The Gap's parent company, Gap Inc., also owns and runs the Old Navy and Banana Republic clothing store chains. The Gap also has an international presence in Canada, Europe, and Japan.
The Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher. The name came from the growing differences between children and adults, called "the generation gap", which reached its peak with the hippie movement. The Fishers wanted to have a clothing line specifially for youth. Originally, The Gap carried Levi'sLevi's are a brand of riveted jeans first manufactured in San Francisco starting in the 1870s. They were sold by Levi Strauss to gold miners during the California Gold Rush. Levi Strauss & Company, after seven years of declining sales, closed their last U jeansThere is also a movie called Jeans. Jeans are trousers made from denim. Originally work clothes, they became popular among teens starting in the 1950s. Popular brands include Levi's and Wrangler. History Jeans were invented in Genoa, Italy when that city, but later changed to an exclusive private label model, dropping Levi's in 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo.
As of 2003, The Gap had approximately 165,000 employees and over 4,000 stores worldwide.The current CEO of the Gap is Paul Pressler , who previously ran the Disney theme parks.
Donald Fisher recently stepped down as Chairman of the Board, and will be replaced by his son, Robert Fisher. The Fisher family collectively owns about 25% of the company.
Old Navy was launched in 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an, as a value chain with a specialty flair. Banana Republic, formerly a catalog retailer selling safari themed clothing, was purchased by the company in 1983, and rebranded as luxury clothing retailer.In 2004, the Gap sold all of its German operations to the Swedish H&M, its main competitor in Europe.