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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Gap closing at Westfield Annapolis Mall

The Gap will close its Westfield Annapolis store next month, one of 175 planned closures nationwide.

Store signage showed that the Annapolis location would be having a 50 percent off sale until its last day on Jan. 26. Customers were encouraged to visit the store's location atHarborplace in Baltimore. The Gap Outlet continues to operate at Arundel Mills, making that the chain's remaining store in Anne Arundel County.

Gap representatives could not be reached for comment, but they previously disclosed in financial filings that the company would be closing 175 locations, with 140 closures occurring in fiscal 2015.

In the early 1990s, both the Gap and Banana Republic operated on Market Space, two prime locations in downtown Annapolis. By 2001, parent company Gap Inc. announced both of those stores would be closing at a time when cutbacks were being made nationally.

Bob Burdon, head of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, said that he was sorry to see the chain go.

"The Gap has been a welcome part of our community for a couple of decades now," Burdon said. He added that he didn't think this closure meant anything about the vibrancy of this area. "The Annapolis market is a very active, dynamic retail market. Many of us would've thought that they have a strong base of customers here and a strong basis of support."

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

People don't want to go out and shop and get robbed.....which is why internet shopping is so popular.

Anonymous said...

Gap and the Banana Republic brands are too expensive. Over priced and under-quality. Hence, why their sister store, Old Navy, continues to thrive because the prices are reasonable and product quality is acceptable. Doesn't anyone take economics in Business Schools anymore? Offer sub par products to the public, get sub par profits in return. This would tell me if I were a retailer, quit outsourcing to China.

Anonymous said...

2:22
I have to disagree with you about Old Navy. I ordered some shirts there about a year ago. They were so thin you had to wear another shirt under them. Who wants to wear 2 shirts in the summertime? I found better quality shirts at Kmart and they were cheaper and I only had to wear and buy 1 shirt.

Anonymous said...

2:57 The reference is to pricing more so than product quality -- even though, for the most part, ON does have better quality than the other two brands. You're absolutely right about other stores - while I'm a Walmart person verses a Kmart person, most times, you can find better quality than even available at ON. The Gap is overpriced. Ditto for BR. They're too expensive for what one gets.

Anonymous said...

121 is correct, why go and risk getting attacked when you can just go to amazon in your living room with your doors locked

Anonymous said...

They're too expensive, and you're paying for a shirt to advertise. Wth the point in that

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many retail stores will remain open at the Centre of Salisbury? I Sears is in trouble, and I don't see Macy's staying here much longer. During the week except weekends, I hardly every see much traffic at the mall.
In the age of internet shopping, I wonder just how many stores will survive?