GAP Trafford Centre. Three words that when last reported were in regards to the closing of the popular GAP store in the Manchester shopping centre but the brand is set to make a triumphant high street return this weekend when it opens inside the Next store on November 26th.
After closing 81 UK stores last year due to the impact of Covid-19 a partnership was signed in March of this year with Next to revive the brand once more.
London’s West End Next was the first to get a GAP store, followed by Birmingham, Glasgow and an additional GAP store inside the Manchester Arndale Centre.
The American brand sells classic casuals from hoodies to track bottoms and more but the announcement of the store comes with a sour note for me personally with the recent dismissal of the Kanye West GAP hoodie range.
These hoodies were the finest hoodies on the market, the thickest, the warmest, the best quality and the second these new GAP stores open the partnership was terminated and these hoodies will sadly not be available at any UK gap store. It’s a real shame.
But fear not, it was announced this week that Kanye would be selling Adidas, GAP and Balenciaga cuts as part of his presidential campaign merchandise and they would all be priced at $20! If that comes to fruition those things are going to sell out like hotcakes!
In a post on the Trafford Centre’s website, it said:
Gap UK is excited to announce the opening of its new shop-in-shop within NEXT at Trafford centre, marking the expansion of Gap’s physical presence within the UK.
“Embodying the brand’s reinvented approach to retail in the UK, the store boasts an open, modern and minimal design. Customers can shop curated collections of elevated everyday essentials including denim, fleece, khakis, shirting and iconic logo product for women, men and kids and baby.”
I’ll hopefully be swinging by this weekend to check it out and to pick up a standard GAP hoodie to compare the quality between that and the Kanye ‘Perfect’ hoodie. I already know who the winner is going to be but it’ll be interesting to check out the store in person nonetheless.
GAP Trafford Centre is BACK!
Update – After visiting the store it’s clear to see why Kanye wanted thicker and better-made clothing considering the GAP offering currently. The hoodies were considerably thinner than the Ye designs but they were very affordable across the range.
It’s a real shame they didn’t sell off the rest of the stock (like other retailers are doing) and just phase it out that way but it is what it is, the shop is very small but certainly has more than enough for young ones, men and women.
Find out more – https://traffordcentre.co.uk/gap
