In July 2021 Gap announced it would close all 81 stores in the UK and Ireland, but today Gap is marking its brick-and-mortar return to the British Isles with a new two-story, 3,250-square-foot shop in London’s Covent Garden. Additionally, Gap will open two other London locations in the coming weeks — Westfield White City on Dec. 4 and a Gap Outlet store in Wembley Park Designer Outlet on Dec. 18, 2025.
“We’re thrilled to return to this iconic address and reconnect with our UK customers,” said Mark Breitbard, President and CEO of Gap brand. “Stores are the ultimate representation of our brand, and Covent Garden reflects how we’re modernizing the customer experience and scaling our global retail playbook.”
Gap is returning to the British brick-and-mortar landscape in a joint venture partnership with UK retailer Next, combining Gap’s global brand leadership with Next’s omnichannel retail and logistics capabilities. In fact, Gap already has a relationship with Next; the apparel brand opened a shop-in-shop at a Next store on London’s Oxford Street in March 2022. Next manages these Gap-branded shop-in-shops as well as the brand’s ecommerce operations in the country.
The Covent Garden flagship store has been divided into “destinations” that spotlight Gap’s iconic product categories — denim, khakis, fleece, logo and shirts — which sit alongside seasonal collections and limited-edition collaborations. The second floor features a “hoodie wall,” and glass cabinets filled with accessories, books and records, according to WWD.
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In addition to Gap’s iconic apparel, the store celebrates London’s creative community through cultural partnerships. It will feature a curated vinyl selection from the legendary Honest Jon’s record shop and an edited library of photography, fashion and art books.
Gap actually owns the building where the shop is located and refused to rent it out even after the retailer’s departure in 2021. “We had many retailers knocking on our door, but we held on, and worked and worked until the timing was right,” Breitbard told WWD.
“The new design is fresher, brighter, cleaner and easier,” Breitbard added. “We’re loving it, and the customers are responding. The storytelling is more interesting. I love it when I hear people ask if the assortment is different. But it’s not — it’s the same.”
