High street retailer Gap has announced it will be closing all 81 stores in the UK and Ireland by the end of 2021.

Closures will include the 19 stores already scheduled to close in July due to their leases expiring.

The fashion retailer said the move was part of a new focus on its online operation instead.

The company said it intends to take business online “in a phased manner” from the end of August through to the end of September this year

It added it would provide “support and transition assistance” to colleagues following the closures, though did not specify how many employees had been affected

Gap has been active in the UK since 1987 and has had stores in the Republic of Ireland since 2006

The announcement comes following a strategic review aimed at “finding new, more cost-effective ways to maintain a presence and serve customers in Europe”.

What’s been said

In a statement, Gap said: “In the United Kingdom and Europe, we are going to maintain our Gap online business.

“The e-commerce business continues to grow and we want to meet our customers where they are shopping.”

Background

A spokesperson for the firm said Gap is becoming a web-first business and it’s looking for a partner to help drive their online market.

Bosses are now proposing to close all company-operated Gap Specialty and Gap Outlet stores in the United Kingdom and is moving through the consultation process with its European team.

It comes as historic department store chain Debenhams shut its remaining stores across the UK for good in May – after the company collapsed amid the fallout of the pandemic.