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The Gap

The Gap is the largest specialty retailer in the United States. Their headquarters are located in San Francisco, California. The Gap's parent company, Gap Inc., also owns and runs the Old Navy and Banana Republic clothing store chains. The Gap also has an international presence in Canada, Europe, and Japan.

The Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris Fisher. Originally, The Gap carried Levi's jeans, but later changed to an exclusive private label model, dropping Levi's in 1990.

As of 2003, The Gap had approximately 165,000 employees and over 4000 stores worldwide.

The current CEO of the Gap is Paul Pressler, who previously ran the Disney theme parks.

Donald Fisher recently stepped down as Chairman of the Board, and will be replaced by his son, Robert Fisher. The Fisher family collectively owns about 25% of the company.

Old Navy was launched in 1994, as a value chain with a specialty flair. Banana Republic, formerly a catalog retailer selling safari themed clothing, was purchased by the company in 1983, and rebranded as luxury clothing retailer.

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