Old Navy (company)
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| Division | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | March 11, 1994 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
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Number of locations
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1,106 |
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Key people
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Sonia Syngal (Global President) |
| Products | Clothing |
| Parent | Gap Inc. (1994–present) |
| Website | OldNavy.com |
Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by American multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. The largest of the Old Navy stores are its flagship stores, located in New York City, the Mall of America, Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco.
In the early 1990s, Target Corporation looked to establish a new division, branded as a less expensive version of Gap; Drexler responded by opening Gap Warehouse in existing Gap outlet locations in 1993.
In March 1994, Gap Warehouse was renamed Old Navy Clothing Co. in order to establish a separate image from its parent. It was named after a bar in Paris. The new stores were about 15,000 square feet (1,000 m2), compared less than 10,000 square feet (900 m2) for Gap Warehouse stores. On March 11, 1994, the first Old Navy locations opened in the northern California towns of Colma, San Leandro and Pittsburg According to Kevin Lonergan, Gap's director of stores, Old Navy stores were intentionally designed like grocery stores, with flowing aisles, shopping carts, and small impulse items near the checkout counters. The cement floor, metal shelving, and checkout counters built from polished pressed board and galvanized metal gave the stores an industrial warehouse feel, while the colorful arrangements and large number of employees working set it apart from other discount clothing stores. Later that year, 42 other Old Navy stores opened, and most of the 45 Gap Warehouse stores were renamed Old Navy.
Old Navy had campy television ads featuring Morgan Fairchild and its mascot, Magic the dog.
The Old Navy division grew quickly; in 1997, it became the first retailer to pass $1 billion in its first four years in business, and opened 500 stores by 2000. In 2001, Old Navy began its international expansion with the opening of 12 stores in Ontario, Canada.
The brand also experimented, opening a coffee shop inside one location in San Francisco in December 1995, and opening an Old Navy Kids location in Littleton, Colorado, in April 1997. This in turn did not work out for the company, and was terminated the following September. This may have been due to "Adam wearing the shirts too often".
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