THE GAP, INC.: AN ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION AND MARKETING ANALYSIS
This research presents and organizational description of the Gap, Inc., and an analysis of the firmÆs marketing function. The description of the firm is covered briefly, and is followed by an in depth marketing analysis.
The Gap stores were founded in San Francisco as teenage, jeans clothing stores, with cluttered aisles and loud rock music. For years, the entire organization functioned in this style. Under the leadership of Millard Drexler, a new image has been developed for The Gap, Inc., and a new environment has been established in all of the firmÆs retail outlets (Caminiti, 1991, p. 106). The quality and value conscious image, and the orderly, colorful, and relatively refined store environment have also transformed the firmÆs corporate culture, wherein individuals are required to approach their tasks in a different manner.
The Gap, Inc. is an apparel retailer, which operates 1,181 specialty stores (Schiffman, 1992, p. 1688). These stores are located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and Hong Kong (Standard, & PoorÆs, 1991, p. 1468). Retailing operations are carried out through two store groupsùThe Gap, with 968 stores, and GapKids, with 213 stores (Schiffman, 1992, p. 1668). In the late-1980s, the firm operated two additional store groupsùBanana Republic, with 111 stores, and Hemisphere, with nine stores (Schiffman, 1992, p. 1688). The death of the jungle craze in clothing fashions spelled the demise of Banana Republic, while trends in the general economy led to the dissolution of the trendy, high-priced Hemisphere stores (Shao & Zinn, 1991, p. 36). Within GapKids stores, the company is introducing infant clothing departments named babyGap (Caminiti, 1992, p. 106; Shao and Zinn, 1991, p. 36).
The core strategy of The Gap, Inc. is to provide high quality casual clothing for the entire family at a price which provides ...