Athleta, part of San Francisco-based Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS),
opened a new 4,800-square-foot retail store today at Yorkdale
Shopping Centre in Toronto. The new Yorkdale store is Athleta’s
second company-operated Canadian location opened over the past two
months, advancing the brand towards its goal to reach two billion
dollars in net sales by 2023.
Athleta first expanded into Canada with the launch of e-commerce
in August, followed by the debut of its first company-operated
store outside of the United States in September at Park Royal
Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, British Columbia.
“As part of our strategic growth plan, Athleta is investing in
new access points to reach new customers and expand our community
of empowered women and girls,” said Mary Beth Laughton, president
and CEO, Athleta. “We know Canadian women are engaging with our
brand, with results showing high in-store traffic and strong demand
for our versatile lifestyle product since launching e-commerce and
our first store earlier this year. This underscores our
continued commitment to prioritizing growth in the Canadian
market.”
Stores remain an important part of the customer journey and
serve as a stop on her path as she completes her daily activities,
like going to a workout class or shopping for groceries. The brand
has a fleet of approximately 200 stores throughout North America
and is on track to open 20-30 additional stores by the end of
2021.
Athleta’s new Yorkdale store features 3,000 square feet of
dedicated retail space, showcasing the brand’s full selection of
versatile, on-trend performance lifestyle products, including its
Athleta Girl and sleep collections. The store will also feature
size-inclusive mannequins and inclusive sizing in more than 500
styles ranging from XXS-3X, in-store styling appointments, free
alterations and wellness-focused community events.
In support of the brand’s commitment to the empowerment of women
and girls, Athleta is partnering with the Toronto Six hockey team,
Canada’s only women’s professional sports team, marking the team’s
largest sponsorship to date.
“Our brand is driven by our mission to empower women and girls
in every community we serve,” said Kyle Andrew, Chief Brand
Officer, Athleta. “Athleta is proud to continue building our
Canadian community through our new partnership with the Toronto
Six, Canada’s only professional women’s sports team. We were
inspired by the team’s dedication, their vision of a platform for
gender equity in sports and beyond and creating opportunity for the
next generation of athletes on and off the ice, and we look forward
to bringing more visibility to these role models through this new
partnership.”
“Our mission at the Toronto Six is to drive change for women in
professional sports by fostering an environment where our players
are supported holistically as players and role models for the
community. Athleta and the Toronto Six share the same values
rooted in empowering women and girls at the community level, and we
could not be more excited to partner with them,” said Digit Murphy,
President, Toronto Six. “We are thrilled to include the
Athleta logo on our team jerseys and look forward to a prosperous
season with Athleta by our side.”
To celebrate the brand’s first international partnership and
Yorkdale store opening, Athleta invited hockey lovers to the
Toronto Six’s first home game by offering complimentary tickets to
the sold-out game on Saturday, Nov. 20. For more information on the
Toronto Six 2021-2022 season and schedule, please visit
https://toronto.premierhockeyfederation.com/.Athleta at Yorkdale
Shopping Centre is located at 3401 Dufferin Street in Toronto,
Ontario. For updated store hours, please visit
athleta.ca/stores.
For Athleta media materials, including images and b-roll, please
contact press@gap.com or visit their media center
here.
# # #
Forward-Looking Statements This press
release contains forward-looking statements within the "safe
harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. All statements other than those that are purely historical
are forward-looking statements. Words such as "expect,"
"anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project,"
and similar expressions also identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements include statements regarding store
openings in Canada and across North America, and growing sales to
two billion dollars by 2023.
Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause the
company's actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. Information regarding factors that
could cause results to differ can be found in the company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on March 16, 2021, as well as the company's subsequent
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These
forward-looking statements are based on information as of August
31, 2021. The company assumes no obligation to publicly update or
revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future
changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or
implied therein will not be realized.
About AthletaA certified B Corporation, Athleta
is a performance lifestyle brand with a mission of empowering a
community of active women and girls. Athleta's versatile premium
performance lifestyle apparel is designed by women for women with
inclusivity at its core. Founded in 1998, Athleta integrates
performance and technical features across its collection to support
women across their entire lifestyle – from yoga and training to
travel and sleep. In 2016, the company launched Athleta Girl
mirroring its signature performance in styles for the next
generation. Based in San Francisco, CA and a Gap Inc. brand (NYSE:
GPS), Athleta apparel is available at its over 200 retail stores
across the United States, through its catalog, and at
Athleta.com.
About Gap Inc. Gap Inc., a
collection of purpose-led lifestyle brands, is the largest American
specialty apparel company offering clothing, accessories, and
personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old
Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands. The company
uses omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and
physical stores to further enhance its shopping experience. Gap
Inc. is guided by its purpose, Inclusive, by Design, and takes
pride in creating products and experiences its customers love while
doing right by its employees, communities, and planet. Gap
Inc. products are available for purchase worldwide through
company-operated stores, franchise stores, and e-commerce
sites. Fiscal year 2020 net sales were $13.8 billion. For
more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.
Contact:Heather Hopkins, press@gap.com
- Athleta reinforces commitment to empowerment with sponsorship
of the Toronto Six
- Athleta partners with the Toronto Six hockey team, Canada’s
only women’s professional sports team, marking the team’s largest
sponsorship to date.
Heather Hopkins
Athleta
press@gap.com
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