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If you are not entirely loyal to buying online or partaking in the dubious delights of click and collect, you will have seen that London’s historic shopping streets have been subject to varied fortunes in the last decade or so. From the transformation of the old HMV megastore to make way for a Willy Wonka-style American candy store to the hotly anticipated unpacking of Ikea at Oxford Circus, it’s hard to keep up. As old dynasties fade and new retail factions rise up, it’s like watching a slightly less sexy and much less dragon-infested ‘Game of Thrones’.
In the long-running saga of retail giants, this is the point at which an exiled, yet far-famed prince returns – albeit a prince who specialises in elevated everyday essentials such as khakis, button-down shirts and fleeces. It’s the return of the Gap.
This time, however, Gap has set up inside Next. A huge ‘store within a store’ concept which opened on March 14, more than 4,000 square feet of retail space nestling inside Next’s flagship on Oxford Street has been given over to the brand. For those of you unfamiliar with Gap’s USP, think preppy, clean-cut Modern American style for adults and kids. Gap’s ubiquitous presence on London’s high streets in the decades of the last century had us reining in the fuss and frills. Its classic approach to our day-to-day wardrobe held sway, helped by its – for the time – diverse choice of models and ageless marketing. Now there’s a a renewed nostalgia for ’90s minimalism, combined with a new tactical approach to customisation, offering embroidery, monogramming and badging for shoppers, it could be that Gap is looking to take the wearable-basics crown once more.
Gap, Next, Plaza Oxford Street, Oxford St, W1D 1LT.
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