In addition to our normal news coverage, What Now Atlanta is tracking ways Atlanta’s businesses are adapting to the novel coronavirus and the challenges it brings to brick-and-mortars.
Gap Inc. by the end of May will reopen up to 800 of its stores across its family of brands: Old Navy, Athleta, Gap, Banana Republic, Janie and Jack, and Intermix.
The company will start with a “small selection” of locations in Texas this weekend, according to a press release Wednesday.
A reopening timeline for Atlanta-area stores is still being determined, Justine Jordan, a Gap spokesperson told What Now Atlanta in an email.
“We are actively working with the local government, led by health official guidelines, and in partnership with RILA and industry peers, to open our stores when and where it is safe to do so,” Jordan wrote.
“Our approach to reopening balances the fact that taking care takes time, with the urgent need to restore the economy and provide the opportunity for our teams to come back to work.”
Retail stores are allowed to be reopened in Georgia as of last Friday when the state’s shelter in place order expired for most Georgians.
“In working with industry partners and public officials to define Safe Shopping practices, we’re eager to begin welcoming our teams and customers back to our stores, and confident in our ability to safely scale North America openings over the coming months in line with local guidelines,” Sonia Syngal, CEO of Gap Inc., said in the release.
“We continue to use this crisis as an opportunity at every turn. As we leverage our stores as distribution hubs, lean into the meaningful acceleration of our online business and play forward the learnings from our Asia business where all locations are now open, we believe we’ll be well-positioned as this crisis subsides.”
Here are the steps Gap Inc. is taking “to bring our customers confidence during this time”:
- Implementing rigorous cleaning routines throughout each store and providing hand sanitizer stations at our front doors and cash wraps and temporarily closing fitting rooms
- Supplying all team members with high-quality, reusable face masks to wear during their shifts and encouraging customers to wear a face-covering while shopping
- Installing plexiglass health guard partitions in front of registers and for mobile payments
- Posting signage throughout the store encouraging customers to observe social distancing guidelines
- Opening with reduced hours and actively monitoring the flow of customers in stores
- Temporarily closing restrooms and quarantining returns for 24 hours before putting them back on the salesfloor
- Ensuring teams follow healthy hygiene habits such as frequent hand washing/sanitizing and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms before heading to work with a provided health checklist
Several of Gap Inc.’s landlords throughout Georgia have already made preparation for tenants to return.
Malls like Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza reopened on Monday, Jamestown Properties has announced a $50 million fund to support its retailers and restaurants including in Ponce City Market, The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, and Westside Provisions District, and Avalon has deployed its “Better Together” program.
[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]
