Gap will open shop within Zalando

Gap and Zalando have today announced a pan-European partnership, which means Gap’s clothing and accessories will be available within Europe’s largest online fashion website beginning next summer. The partnership will be Gap’s first foray into multi-brand retailing in Europe.

The assortment of clothing and accessories for Gap Women, Gap Men, GapKids and babyGap will be presented alongside other brands available on Zalando. For customers this could be an introduction to new looks to combine American and European casual style, says Stefan Laban, SVP international for Gap. “Zalando is the most trafficked ecommerce fashion site in Europe with more than 100 million visits to the site per month. This partnership is a strategic step that will see us continue to grow our brand presence in these markets.”

Not present on the ground in European key markets
According to Yoel Minkoff, editor at Seeking Alpha, the partnership is another move from Gap aimed at reducing its dependence on the North American market. “Gap already delivers to 24 European countries from its own website and has more than 200 stores on the continent but is not present on the ground in key markets such as Germany.”

Of course Zalando also had something to say about the deal. David Schneider, member of the fashion retailer’s management board, says the company is constantly working “to ensure that we are offering our around 14 million active customers new and relevant brands from around the world. And Gap is on of the most loved brands in the United Stated and it will extend our assortment.”

Zalando to sell through Gap’s US website?
NASDAQ thinks the partnership is especially interesting, because the two companies might be more naturally expected to compete. “However, it seems the two have more to gain by working together, with Gap gaining a wider audience across Europe for items that complement those sold by Zalando. It will be interesting to see if Zalando starts to sell through Gap’s American website in the future.”

About Gap and Zalando
Gap was founded in San Francisco in 1969 and since then has grown to over 1,700 retail locations around the world.  Zalando is the leading online fashion retailer in Europe and serves customers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom.