FARGO — Gap will be moving out of West Acres Shopping Center at the end of January, the mall announced via Facebook Tuesday, Dec. 8.
"With great sadness we let you know that Gap will be closing their doors at the end of January. While we knew this was coming, as Gap as a whole has been a struggling brand nationally, we are sad to see a greatly loved retailer shut its doors after many years at West Acres," the Facebook post read. "The Gap team, who has been an important part of the West Acres family, will be greatly missed. We are so grateful for their long-standing dedication and passion for their store and our shopping center."
The move follows the closing of Gap Kids, which shut its doors in July after 25 years of business .
A Gap spokesperson said the company is re-evaluating its brick-and-mortar offerings "to adapt to the changing needs of the customer and growth of our online business." As a result, the clothing retailers will be closing "a number" of its stores. "We remain committed to making appropriate and timely decisions on stores that don’t fit our vision for the future of Gap Inc. We are confident these closures will strengthen the health of our company moving forward," the spokesperson continued.
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Athleta, which was announced to be coming to West Acres in October , is still scheduled to open in the shopping center, the mall reported. The Gap-owned women's athleisure brand is still expected to open in the winter of 2021 in the vacant space between Loft and Zumiez.
Shares of The Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS) bottomed out at $5.26 per share at the beginning of the pandemic but have since rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Still, the firm missed earnings per share estimates in both the second and fourth quarter in between a third quarter earnings beat.
