Athleta Flagship Opens in S.F.
Gap Inc. opened a flagship store for its Athleta division in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood on Jan. 13. The 5,000-square-foot outlet will offer clothes for a full range of sports activities such as yoga, running, golf, paddleboarding and gym workouts.
Athleta started business as an online venture in 1998. Ten years later, Gap purchased the Petaluma, Calif.–based women’s athletic wear label and retailer for $150 million. Gap opened a smaller Athleta shop in Mill Valley, Calif., in 2010. However, the San Francisco Athleta store, located at 2226 Fillmore St., is considered the brand’s formal bricks-and-mortar debut.
“This store opening launches the next phase of our multi-channel growth plan for the Athleta brand,” said Toby Link, president of Gap Inc. Direct, the division that handles the Athleta brand. A Gap representative said there were no plans to open more stores. “We’re going to see how customers respond to this new store,” said Gap’s Callie Canfield.
Gap Inc. does not break out sales results for Athleta. However, the company recently reported that same-store sales in December declined 3 percent compared with December 2009, when Gap reported a same-store increase of 2 percent.—Andrew Asch
