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Gap store in Red Deer closing

Red Deer is losing its Gap outlet at Bower Place mall.
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Brenda MacKay, a Red Deer Gap shopper, is going to miss the store. Photo by Mamta Lulla/Advocate staff

Red Deer is losing its Gap outlet at Bower Place mall.

Shopper Brenda MacKay said she is going to miss the store.

“I love their jeans and some of their clothes as well, and they have the type of pants that fit me,” said MacKay, who was taking advantage of the closing sales Monday.

“There’s nothing else in Red Deer that I think matches it. It’s the quality for the price. They have all of it,” she said.

Earlier this year, the company said it will be shuttering 230 Gap brand stores over the next two years. A year ago, the Gap brand had 725 stores worldwide.

The retailer said in February it’s creating two independent publicly traded companies — low-priced juggernaut Old Navy and a second company, which will consist of the iconic Gap brand, Banana Republic as well as the lesser-known names Athleta, Intermix and Hill City.

The San Francisco-based company said the spin off will enable each company to focus on flexibility and pare down costs.

The split up, which followed a comprehensive board review, comes as Old Navy has been thriving, while the Gap still hasn’t been able to regain its footing despite numerous attempts to fix the business.

Once the go-to place for casual clothing, the Gap has been mired in a sales funk for years, hurt by increasing competition from the likes of Target and Amazon.

— With files from The Associated Press

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The Gap store in Red Deer is closing. Currently, the closing sale signs are on display outside the store at Bower Place mall. Photo by Mamta Lulla/Advocate staff