The Village shopping district in the City of Grosse Pointe will be losing another business in late January after Gap Inc. decides it is not "the best representation" of the brand.
The Village shopping-business district will have one less store in late January when Gap is set to close its doors for the final time, according to a corporate spokeswoman who spoke with Patch Thursday.
It is the only store in Michigan selected for closure but is part of a "natural pruning process" the company has been employing since 2007, Kimberly Terry, a Gap Inc. senior public relations manager.
The Grosse Pointe location at 17836 Kercheval Ave. has been there since 1987, Terry said, explaining that there are other stores throughout the country that will also be closing. She declined to say how many.
According to the company's press releases on their corporate site, Gap Inc. is opening stores in other countries, most recently a Banana Republic in France. According to an Oct. 29, 2011 Investor Relations Real Esate recap, there are 22 Gap stores in Michigan and 991 across the country.
Additionally, a store opening/closing list for investors shows the company planned to open about 25 stores and close about 85 throughout 2011 in its North America division, according to figures compiled Oct. 29, 2011.
Gap's upcoming closure marks yet another in the Village in the last year. Borders closed in the Village during the Ann Arbor company's reorganization efforts to avoid complete bankruptcy. Then Cavanaugh's, a specialized invitation shop, announced its closure the day Borders was closing the doors for the final time.
Months later, Burger Pointe, a locally owned and operated restaurant featuring burgers, shakes and fries, shut its doors. The awning sign emblazoned with Burger Pointe remains a reminder within the Village.
Meanwhile, Green Zone Pizza is the newest and only recent addition to the Village.
Terry said the choice to close the Grosse Pointe Gap is the result of many factors the company considers when assessing whether a store should remain open. Officials evaluate sales, traffic, the last date the store was remodeled and more, she said.
The decision is really based on the individual store, Terry said. In her initial response to Grosse Pointe Patch via email, she said: "We felt this store wasn’t the best representation of our brand moving forward so we made the decision to close it."
Later during a telephone interview, Terry said the "customer experience factor was not the best" at the Grosse Pointe location.
Although she could not confirm if the closure coincides with the lease term of the building, generally the company does make store closures at the end of a lease. Patch is attempting to reach the property owner.
The store's last day to be open for business is Jan. 23. Employees will remain in the store for a short time after to finishing removing product and Gap owned items, she said.
Product will be either marked down and/or shipped to other Gap stores in the area, Terry said.
The company is making its best efforts to relocate those employees wishing to stay with them, Terry said. The employees could be transferred to any of the Gap Inc. stores, including Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy or even the outlets of these stores.
"This was a difficult decision," Terry said. "When we close the store, we want to continue to serve the market."
The company will make efforts to let customers who frequent the Grosse Pointe location know of its closure as well as the nearest Gap stores, she said.
Patch is awaiting a return call from Village Association President Mike Kramer about the closure.
Rick
8:28 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
the wholw community is awaiting a call, a sign of a heartbeat, some "proof of life" from Mike Kramer, not just Patch. We all know things are tough out there but Mike needs to look at the Village like the planner in Bham did. An article in Crains talked how she likened the area to a mall and sold the whole experience. The community does still have some money. I know this might seem crazy but has anyone talked to Apple about the Borders location? Lastly if you are a landlord in the area YOUR RENT IS TOO HIGH!!!
Cathy
8:50 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
This is so disappointing -- but also not a surprise: GAP was always "stupid" in its business practices in the Village: on Thursdays in the summer, during Music on the Plaza, when Kercheval was filled with people -- they CLOSED at 7:00 pm. Instead of making an intelligent, local decision, they just went with a corporate decision to close at 7, based on general business flow. They should have remained open to catch the crowds during the show, the intermission, and even after the show. Great loss to them, and now to us.
Joe Dyament
9:43 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
"Terry said the "customer experience factor was not the best" at the Grosse Pointe location... The company is making its best efforts to relocate those employees wishing to stay with them, Terry said." Wow--corporate spokesperson blaming employees for their problems and then doing an about-face and inviting them to work at other locations! Really? Ever hear the expression, it starts at the top? What a lame cop-out.
jeanine cunningham
9:46 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
I am shocked! As a regular GAP shopper at this location, I really will be unable to shop local. In the meantime, there should be some great sales. The Village Association needs to realign some terms for leases to help this area thrive again.
Very sad and disheartened.
Jeanine
Sara Eaton Martin
11:46 am on Friday, December 23, 2011
A few thoughts related to some of the comments. Mike Kramer does actually pay close attention to other nearby areas that are similar, such as Birmingham. He talked to me about this for another story and how they established a different version of a Downtown Business Authority, the official name of which I cannot recall at the moment, but how the other type of authority puts the money into advertising as a unit to draw shoppers to the area. The money for a DBA goes more so to improving the physical area of the district, he explained. He believes there are advantages to both. A recent new marketing effort by the Village Association that started within the last few weeks I believe is the establishment of a Facebook page and Twitter account, in which they are trying to reach out to the public more about specials in the Village and such.
I'll do more follow-up on this particular issue and the Village as a whole.... Stay tuned!
Sara
Kristy Allor
2:12 pm on Friday, December 23, 2011
Oh no!! The village is becoming extinct!
Jay bird R.
5:57 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Village needs a formal DDA if it is going to survive. Look at downtowns like Rochester that almost collapsed if it weren't for the downtown development authority that was developed. They attracted more businesses and worked with landlords to get tenants. There are several retailers looking to expand currently (Apple, Potterybarn, Aeropostale, etc). We will not be able to attract these businesses without a DDA or lower rents. When is GP going to wake up? Hopefully it's not too late!
Chris K
10:40 am on Saturday, December 24, 2011
The GAP plans nationally were announced months ago though no stores were identified at the time but I am not surprised this GAP is leaving Grosse Pointe. As for the larger issue, my guess, sadly, is that the demographics in the surrounding area will not lend itself to the sort of expansion that is being desired. Many larger chains want to consider a pretty large geographic area in order to draw its customers. Our proximity to Detroit and its myriad problems is not a plus and Macomb county residents can just as easily drive to M-59 to shop. Consider that both Eastland and Macomb mall are dying out and that very little is being done to develop those areas either. The financial demographics of the customers retailers want to open business is just not here. If Midtown ever develops residents will just as readily drive to Birmingham and Royal Oak which I suspect is already being done. Sorry to sound like a Grinch but I think those who hope to sustain the business districts have a very difficult job.
Richard Swarthout
9:20 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Internet shopping, not shopping locally, and very high rents are the problems of retail
business......in my opinion.