Gap’s Piperlime.com to Add Clothing

Piperlime.com, Gap Inc.’s footwear e-tailer, plans to begin selling apparel on its website in August. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the site will initially offer about 65 brands, including Juicy Couture and Riller & Fount, including an extensive denim offering from such labels as AG Adriano Goldschmied, Rich & Skinny, Joe’s Jeans, Work Custom Jeans and Seven for All Mankind.

“We’re growing very rapidly, and our growth is significantly outpacing the industry,” says Jennifer Gosselin, vp and general manager of Piperlime.com. “We have millions of very fashion-involved customers. Apparel was clearly the place we should be going.”

Gosselin told WWD that other categories, including jewelry, may also be added. “We will follow the customer,” she says.

Launched in 2006, Piperlime.com carries more than 200 brands of shoes and handbags. Earlier this year, Gap Inc. expanded its online offered to include Athleta, a women’s sports and active apparel brand. Gap acquired the brand in September of 2008. Customers can shop all Gap Inc. brands, including Athleta, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime, from one site, with one shopping cart and a flat shipping rate of $7.

This week, Gap Inc. reported net sales of $1.05 billion for the four-week period ended May 2, 2009, a 5 percent decrease compared with net sales a year ago. The company’s comparable store sales for April 2009 were down 4 percent.

On a brand basis, Gap North America’s comparable store sales were down 10 percent; Banana Republic’s dropped 8 percent, and Old Navy North America’s grew 1 percent. International same-store sales decreased 2 percent. “We’re pleased that customers continued to respond positively to Old Navy’s value proposition in April,” Sabrina Simmons, chief financial officer of Gap Inc, said in a statement. “Supported by our focus on inventory management and sourcing, we delivered total company merchandise margins above last year.”