Banana Republic
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| Division | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded |
Mill Valley, California, U.S. 1978 |
| Founder |
Mel Ziegler Patricia Ziegler |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Number of locations | 642 |
Key people |
Art Peck (CEO of parent Gap, Inc.) Andi Owen (President) Marissa Webb (CD) |
| Products | Clothing |
| Parent | Gap Inc. |
| Website | BananaRepublic.com |
Banana Republic (República Bananera in Spanish and République Bananière in French) is an American clothing and accessories retailer owned by American multinational corporation, Gap Inc.
It was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler with a safari theme; in 1983, Gap purchased the company and gave it a more upscale image.[1] Banana Republic has over 600 stores located internationally.
History
The original Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler in 1978.[2] The couple were known for acquiring interesting clothing items that their travel-related jobs brought them in contact with. They eventually opened a store in the Mill Valley area of Northern California.[3] They were known for a hand-drawn catalogue of items with fictional traveler/explorer stories printed alongside, and their safari-themed retail locations.[4][5]
Gap Inc. acquired Banana Republic in 1983, eventually rebranding it as a mainstream luxury clothing retailer. The literate articles, hand-drawn catalog, and eccentric tourist-oriented items were phased out and were replaced with more luxurious, but not unique, items for which the brand is currently known (as of 2012). To set itself apart from Gap as a more upmarket brand, Banana Republic occasionally buys and refurbishes historic buildings for its retail locations.
Locations
The company operates more than 500 Banana Republic stores in the United States (including Puerto Rico), 40 stores in Canada, and 61 stores beyond North America. The Gap, Inc. is expanding its international presence with franchise agreements for Gap and Banana Republic in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In 2015 Banana Republic opened a new flagship in Manhattan on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street.
Banana Republic opened its first store outside North America in 2005 in Ginza, Tokyo's most prestigious upscale shopping district. Banana Republic's presence in South Korea debuted on August 24, 2007 with a store in the trendy Apkujeong district of Seoul. In 2007, the first Banana Republic stores opened at The Avenues shopping mall in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Senayan City in Jakarta, Indonesia; and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Banana Republic opened its first store in Turkey on March 15, 2008 in the Kanyon Shopping Mall in Istanbul.[6] By May 2008, İstinye Park Shopping Mall and Nişantaşı stores were also opened in Istanbul. More stores are planned to be opened in Ankara and İzmir by the end of 2008 to bring the total number of stores in Turkey to six.[7]
Banana Republic was first introduced in Saudi Arabia in late 2008, with a first opening in Mall of Arabia in Jeddah and a second opening in Riyadh Gallery Mall in Riyadh in March 2009.
On March 20, 2008, Banana Republic opened its 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) store on Regent Street in London, England.[8] On May 9, 2008, Banana Republic opened its store on Greenbelt 5 in Makati City, Philippines.
Clothing lines
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Store count
As of the end of Q1 2011, Banana Republic had 682 company owned or franchised stores in operation across 32 countries, shipped to 20 countries through company owned websites, and had the ability to ship to more than 50 countries through a 3rd party.[9]
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References
- 1 2 "Major retailers launch upscale collections - Business - Retail | NBC News". MSNBC. 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ↑ Klara, Robert Before Banana Republic Was Mainstream Fashion, It Was a Weirdly Wonderful Safari Brand: Revisiting the pith helmets, Jeeps and life-size giraffes AdWeek. March 17, 2016
- ↑ http://lancercreative.com/2013/05/banana-republic-a-look-back/
- ↑ http://scottcadams.com/bananarepublic/the-adventure-begins/
- ↑ http://discoveries.vdaproductions.com/articles/29724/banana-republic-themed-retail-that-once-was/
- ↑ Fiba Grubu
- ↑ Fiba Grubu
- ↑ Regent Street Online - The Banana Republic
- ↑ http://www.gapinc.com/content/dam/gapincsite/documents/Global_Footprint.pdf
- ↑ EconomĂa. "Noticias de El Salvador | Diario El Mundo » Roble inicia cambios en Multiplaza y Metrocentro". Elmundo.com.sv. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banana Republic. |
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