Gap Permanently Closing Stores In San Francisco's Embarcadero, Market Street, Stonestown

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Gap Inc. is permanently closing three of its stores in San Francisco, according to a report.

The retailer is shuttering stores in Embarcadero Center, Stonestown Galleria and its flagship store on Market Street, a few blocks from Union Square, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Last March, Gap Inc. temporarily closed all of its North American stores due to the coronavirus pandemic, representing about 90 percent of its global retail presence. As a result, sales for the first quarter of 2020 were down 43 percent from the same period last year. In contrast, online sales increased 13 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.

The company insists the closures were part of a plan to reorganize as more and more customers drift away from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping.

"While these stores were initially closed as a result of city mandates, these permanent closures are part of the larger strategy we announced last year to resize our fleet based on customer shopping patterns and store profitability," wrote a Gap spokesperson in an email to The Chronicle.

Gap Inc. will keep the doors to its Chestnut Street store open, as well its other brand locations including several Banana Republic boutiques, Old Navy on Market Street and Athleta and Intermix stores.