Gap plans Westfield London pop-up from reopening day

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 8, 2021

Gap may be exiting the UK market as far as company-operated shops are concerned in the long term, but the retailer wants to make the most of the reopening in England next week. It will therefore launch a kidswear pop-up in the Westfield London mall on April 12.

Running until May 31, The Little Boutique will sell clothing and gifts for babies and toddlers (0-5 years), and include many exclusive products not available in other Gap stores.

The new gap location will include a while-you-wait customisation station, where consumers can add an embroidered name or “fun monogram” to the items they purchase.

It's part of the wider effort by retailers in the fashion and beauty segments to make the most of what’s expected to be an enthusiastic return to physical shopping. This will be a complete contrast to the reopening after the first lockdown back in June 2020 when fear of the virus remained high because vaccines had not yet been released.

By contrast, analysts are currently predicting a lot of pent-up demand and interest in shopping physically, despite many consumers having developed even more entrenched online shopping habits.