Gap Inc. (San Francisco) will open its first Old Navy stores in the Philippines in 2014.
Women’s Wear Daily reports that the retailer will be partnering with Stores Specialists Inc. (Mikati, The Philippines), which already operates Gap and Banana Republic stores.
Expanding its brands around the world by franchising, Gap says two Old Navy units will debut in early 2014, followed by two more by the end of the year.
“We think the Philippines is the right place to start,” said Sonia Syngal, senior vp of Old Navy Intl. “It will give us a nice-sized business with 20 to 30 stores over time.”
She said Old Navy’s brand awareness is high in the Philippines. WWD reports the stores will be similar to Old Navy units in the U.S. “We want to be very consistent, from product to positioning. That includes the store experience.
“We’re quite serious about being aggressive with Old Navy’s global expansion,” Syngal added. “We’re the number-one apparel brand in the U.S., according to NPD, and have not really exploded.”