Gap Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the United States, and is 3rd in total international locations, behind Inditex Group and H&M.

Fisher opened the first Gap store near City College on Ocean Avenue in Ingleside, San Francisco on August 21, 1969; its only merchandise consisted of Levi's and LP records to attract teen customers.

By 1973, the company had over 25 locations and had expanded into the East Coast market with a store in the Echelon Mall in Voorhees, New Jersey.

[19][20][21] Robert J. Fisher recruited Paul Pressler as the new CEO; he was credited with closing under-performing locations and paying off debt.

That January, Pressler resigned after two disappointing holiday sales seasons and was succeeded by Robert J. Fisher on an interim basis.

[22][23][24] He began working with the company in 1980 and joined the board in 1990, and would later assume several senior executive positions, including president of Banana Republic and the Gap units.

[25] The board's search committee was led by Adrian Bellamy, chairman of The Body Shop International and included founder Donald Fisher.

That July, Glenn Murphy, previously CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, was announced as the new CEO of Gap, Inc. New lead designers were also brought on board to help define a fashionable image, including Patrick Robinson for Gap Adult, Simon Kneen for Banana Republic, and Todd Oldham for Old Navy.

[33] In January 2015, Gap Inc. announced plans to close their subsidiary Piperlime in order to focus on their core brands.

[34] In September 2018, Gap Inc. began publicizing Hill City, a men's athletic apparel brand that launched in October 2018.

[35] In June 2020, Gap Inc. announced that it had made the decision to wind down its Hill City brand in the coming months.

The announcement of the company's 10-year long contract with the music icon turned fashion innovator saw Gap Inc. garner $34.9 million in media impact value.

In August 2020, the company announced that it, alongside its Banana Republic brand, would close over 225 store locations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

)[38] The original plan of the company was to close only 90 stores, however, they expanded the number as a consequence of the financial effects caused by the pandemic restrictions.

[39][40] In February 2021, Gap Inc. announced a $140 million investment to build an 850,000 square foot distribution center in Longview, Texas, because it forecasts that its online business will double over the next two years.

[41] In August 2021, Gap acquired Drapr, an online tech application where customers can create 3D Avatars and virtually try on clothing.

In addition to hiring 1,100 employees to meet the demands of market share growth and peak season, Gap partnered with AHS to implement an automated order fulfillment system.

The programme is sponsored by the company's internal initiative, Create With Audacity, providing space, tools and resources to develop talent.

[49] In May 2024, Gap introduced its limited collection in partnership with the Californian clothing brand, Dôen, celebrating sisterhood.

The application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 29, 1972, by the Gap Stores; registration was granted on October 10, 1972.

Both the service mark and trademark are registered and owned by Gap (Apparel), LLC of San Francisco, California.

[57] Forth & Towne, the company's fourth traditional retail concept, was launched on August 24, 2005, featuring apparel targeted toward women 35 years and older.

While the company has been criticized for blandness and uniformity in its selling environments, it maintains that it tailors its stores "to appeal to unique markets" by developing multiple formats and designs.

[65] In February 2009, Elbit Imaging, Ltd. secured a franchise to open and operate Gap and Banana Republic stores in Israel.

[81] In May 2006, adult and child employees of Western Factory, a supplier in Irbid, Jordan, were found to have worked up to 109 hours per week and to have gone six months without being paid.

[82] The government of Jordan launched an investigation into the supplier and other textile factories and announced actions to prevent future abuses.

[85] The company denied knowledge of the happenings; it subsequently removed and destroyed the single piece of clothing in question, a smock blouse, from a British store.

[87] In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute accused at least 82 major brands, including Gap Inc., of being connected to forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang.

However, West accused Gap of failing to honor terms of the deal and decided to end the partnership in September 2022.

[95][96] Stores in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, UK, and US (including Puerto Rico) are company-owned; those outside of these countries are owned and operated by franchises.