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History You just aren't American if you haven't strolled, at least once, amidst the neatly folded jeans and T-shirts that made the store famous. In fact, you may have shopped at the Gap without even knowing it - in addition to owning the Gap, babyGap, and GapKids, the ubiquitous retailer also owns the popular Banana Republic and Old Navy stores. The tale of the Gap begins in 1969, when a San Francisco real estate developer in search of a well-stocked, organized jean store decided to open his own. Donald G. Fisher, along with his wife Doris, named their jeans-only store the Gap, after "the generation gap," and concentrated on selling Levi's jeans, neatly organized by size. In a year's time, it was clear the Fishers had struck denim-tinted gold. By 1970 there were six Gap stores. Drawing on a strong teenage customer base, the Gap continued rapid expansion throughout the 1970s, and began vending its own private-label clothing and accessories in 1974. Continuing its rapid growth, the Gap introduced GapKids in 1986, and babyGap in 1990. By the mid-1990s retailers across the board were copying The Gap's store design and core products. Stacks of multicolored T-shirts and sweatshirts were everywhere. CEO "Mickey" Drexler kicked off a new marketing strategy, pushing The Gap brand name and returning to television advertising after a 12-year hiatus. TV ads featured stars ranging from L.L. Cool J to Aerosmith and even kicked off a career for singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. Khakis swung back onto the fashion scene on the Gap's white-boxed set in 1998. The success of this campaign inspired a string of commercials for Khaki-A-Go-Go, Khaki-Country and Khaki-Soul. The popularity of this ad campaign spawned the classic "Dress you up in my love" and "They call me mello-yello" spots which hawked everything from vests to leather. Most recently, The Gap has asked "Are you a jean or a khaki?" in three ads with dance routines modeled after West Side Story The widening Gap If you think the Gap is everywhere you look, you're right. The company now operates over 3,500 stores worldwide, and has crept into nearly every apparel niche. Its signature chain store occupies the tasteful "middle market," and may be found in no less than 1,767 North American locations; 393 in Canada, Europe, and Japan. In 2000, Gap plans on spending $1.6 billion to open new stores and improve infrastructure. For the under 10 crowd, GapKids is open at 693 locations worldwide. Old Navy draws in the bargain-minded at 513 locations, and is quickly knocking out its less hip competitors. Gap Inc. anticipates that Old Navy will become its largest branch within 10 years. For the upscale crowd, the revamped Banana Republic may be found in 345 stores around the United States and Canada. Feeling frisky? Gap is even testing a new concept known as "Gap Body" stores that sell intimate apparel for femme or homme (but mostly femme). All told, The Gap opens about one new store a day. Not getting caught with its pants down Unlike some of its competitors, Gap has kept its focus on what works in apparel. Gap's creative team works to restock Gap shelves with new products every six weeks, keeping the retail ahead of imitators in the fast-paced fashion industry. The company isn't shy about pouring money into advertising; in 1998 Gap spent more than $419 million on its ad campaigns. Perhaps even more important is the company's "market segmentation" strategy. Rather than integrating the various customers, income levels and lifestyles that the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy collectively target, each has thrived as a distinct entity - while avoiding the constant rumor of a sell-off. This strategy has allowed for three sales avenues, three growth strategies and three different audiences; putting Gap Inc. in equal competition with the sophisticated style of Ann Taylor and the bargain clothing at J.C. Penney. In its first four years of operation Old Navy topped the charts with $1 billion in annual sales, an unmatched feat in the history of specialty apparel retailing. Speculation surrounding the hiring of Heidi Kunz as chief financial officer in July 1999 centered on the spinning off of Banana Republic or Old Navy as separate companies. Gap officials have been mum on this subject so far. Ms. Kunz is the first woman to serve as CFO at Gap Inc. The bane of tree huggers everywhere The Gap has been the object of constant protests by anti-sweatshop and environmental workers, even to the point that it moved its yearly shareholders meeting to rural Tennessee instead of holding it in San Francisco. Consumers seem not to care - revenues and profits are up, and The Gap is planning on opening up to 660 stores (throughout all of its different brands) in 2000.
If you're bright, hard working, and committed, then go ahead and fall into the Gap. One insider says the company looks for applicants who are "Quick, smart, and efficient – but mostly quick." The Gap offers a range of entry-level and upper level positions to BAs and MBAs with solid experience. The San Francisco headquarters is dominated by the more creative positions, including marketing. Finance and other more straight-and-narrow types are in San Bruno. The Gap recruits at college campuses, mostly in the western U.S. The most extensive college graduate program, in retail management, prepares college grads for marketing or management positions. Prospective employees should expect three to four rounds of interviews, insiders tell us. The first round is with a human resources representative, and the second round is typically with the applicant's potential first-level manager. The third round may be with another first-level manager in a different area, or with other members of the department. The fourth round is often with second-level management or other key executives.
Hip + Successful = $$$ Insiders say the Gap's culture is basically what you'd expect from the company that employed LL Cool J as a commercial spokesman and dressed down the buttoned-up conservatives on Wall Street. "Upbeat, fast-paced, fun, youthful, creative," are popular adjectives among those trying to describe the company's high energy and youthful atmosphere. The typical Gap employee is "very young, with a high sense of urgency and work ethic, team-oriented, and energetic." One insider notes, "It is a company with a young and aggressive attitude toward success." "Many companies are considered to be fast-paced, but I've NEVER seen anything like this company in my life," another employee reports. Bridging the gender(you know what) Unlike the Gap's homogeneous product line, insiders say the Gap's work force is pretty diverse. One insider says, "I have found the Gap to be a great place to work. It's a very diverse company in both people and opportunities." Another notes, "We have a diversity department that is challenged to recruit a diverse workforce reflective of the community where we are." Opportunities for women are wide at the Gap. A female employee reports, "The opportunity for advancement depends on your department. In the areas of Marketing, Merchandising and Product Development there is a good representation of both women and minorities in middle and senior management." Another notes: "There are 'quiet rooms' for women to breastfeed in comfort and privacy, the majority of workers are female." Though white males still dominate the upper levels, some women have been bridging the gender gap. One insider reports, "We are a predominantly young group (20s and 30s), but our executive branch is composed of mostly middle-aged white males. Our Banana Republic division does have a female CEO, and our Gap division has a female executive VP, as well as Old Navy, so women are strongly represented." A tale of two San-cities Many say the biggest perks at the Gap are the gorgeous offices. One insider in the San Francisco office, where marketers are based, reports, "The offices could not be more beautiful. The founders are pop art collectors and Andy Warhols are part of my trip to the bathroom and copy machine." Another contact notes, "San Francisco is a beautiful city and Gap is well known for having made its home here. We are directly next to the Bay Bridge, right on the Embarcadero." The environment does vary by location, as one notes, "The physical atmospheres are quite different between San Bruno and San Francisco. San Francisco's physical atmosphere is very creative and artsy. San Bruno is quite a bit more utilitarian. I think that may be attributed to the fact that the 'creative folks' are in San Francisco and the Finance and IS departments are in San Bruno."
Human Resources
BabyGap (infant clothing boutiques within GapKids and freestanding stores); Banana Republic (casual clothing); Gap (casual and active clothing); GapBody (intimate apparel); GapKids (clothing for children); Old Navy Clothing Company (lower-priced family clothing);
Benetton More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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