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There are pros and cons to being a consultant. For every instance of schedule flexibility (doctors & hair salons love me), there’s an equal-but-opposite requirement to being on the road. I just returned from three weeks of non-stop travel, and I’m bushed. Love my work, love my clients… hate airports, hotels and meeting rooms.
The story that caught my eye this week was Gap’s decision to close Forth & Towne, the clothing store chain devoted to women 35 and older. I’m willing to bet this was one of those amputate-quick-before-it-infects kind of deals, given the terrible state of affairs over at Gap in recent months.
In their announcement, Gap said, "While the company was encouraged by the initial performance of Forth & Towne, a thorough analysis revealed the concept was not demonstrating enough potential to deliver an acceptable long-term return on investment.”
Really? After only 18 months? How refreshing it would have been for Gap to stop with the corporate speak and just put it out there: We overextended our brand, didn’t do our behavior-based research on women over 35, offered boring clothing (compared to Chico’s and Coldwater Creek), and tried to be another store in the mall rather than boutique based (again, see competitors above).
I’m sure the company is making the right move in order to save itself. It will be interesting to see if they learned their lesson and can bring Gap back to life. They could start by getting to know the Gap customer of today and sell clothing that resonates with her lifestyle.
Michele Miller is a writer, speaker, and consultant on ways to capture the heart of the female customer. The co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth, she consults with businesses of all sizes across North America
I disagree with your comments about Forth & Towne’s clothing line. I’m over 40 and work in the business world and appreciated the classic simplicity and details on much of Forth & Towne’s clothing line. Yes, there were bugs to work out, but they had a interesting concept. I’m a bit of a clothes horse, have never bought anything in Chicos or Coldwater Creek – find them too “busy” and the fit isn’t good at all – all elastic waists, etc. However, I did buy a lot at Forth & Towne and everyone I ever sent there loves the store as well. I think their Gap and Old Navy lines may be doomed – their product offering is poor, the quality is dismal and the customer service is non-existent.
Funny — I live in the NY Metropolitan area and had never heard of Forth & Towne until yesterday when I saw an ad for them in a recent April 2007 magazine. So I can’t imagine that their market test was very extensive, possibly only in major cities? This may have been their first mistake since I would never shop in NYC for clothes because of the sales tax. I also agree with Susana in that I won’t shop at Coldwater Creek or Chicos. Anything with an elastic waist fits dismally, I work in an office, and there is only so much floating mid-western style clothing that a gal can have. It seems too bad that Gap pulled the plug so soon since the Forth & Towne ad peaked my interest and appeared to have clothes that were less severe than Jos. A. Banks and more formal than Chicos.
I guess their line is really for a particular, classical, more business-oriented women. Depends on your taste.
From your article I am guessing that you have never been in a Forth and Towne. I was my new favorite place to shop for business casual clothes. I am over 35 and Coldwater Creek and Chicos are not in the same league as Forth and Towne. I think if the Gap had given the new brand a reasonable amount of time and penetration in the market they would have seen it make a profit.
I have to disagree as well. I’m a young professional and shopped at Forth and Towne for the first time last week in San Fran. I was so sad to hear that the store was closing. I think Gap is making a mistake by pulling the stores so soon. I also feel as though they didn’t market the stores properly. I had never heard of it until I happen to pass by in the mall. It’s a great classic line and fits all sizes from 2 to 22. What other store can say that!! It was finally so nice to see a good line of clothing made for all body types. This is coming from a size 2 that shops anywhere from Melrose to Bloomingdales.
I was looking forward to shopping at a forthe and town, I thought finally someone gets it. There were not any stores in my area but I was hoping there would be soon. I agree about chico’s and coldwater creek being too busy. There was a time when The Gap use to have alot more to offer. Like myself I know alot of women who have money to shop but can’t find anything.