Gap, Banana Republic close at The Empire Mall

Aug. 17, 2020

Gap and Banana Republic have closed at The Empire Mall.

While neither store officially posted a going-out-of-business notice, the inventory was gone in boxes, and fixtures were being dismantled and packed up Sunday.

The longtime mall tenants will leave some significant vacancies in the JCPenney wing. Gap was among the larger mall tenants, with its Gap Kids and Baby Gap brands included in the space.

Gap Inc., parent company of Athleta and Old Navy in addition to Banana Republic, reported a 43 percent year-over-year drop in net sales, resulting in a $1.2 billion operating loss for the first quarter of its fiscal year, which ended May 2.

“The company has undertaken a strategic review of its real estate portfolio to further advance its long-term strategic priorities that include a smaller, healthier fleet, particularly as it relates to its Gap brand and Banana Republic specialty fleets,” it said in its earnings statement released in early June.

Banana Republic, which offers more formal work clothing, struggled as workers stayed home and saw fewer online orders, the company said in its earnings call.

Both stores closed along with the rest of The Empire Mall in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. But while other locations reopened nationwide in May, the Sioux Falls stores never did.

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Gap, Banana Republic close at The Empire Mall

Gap and Banana Republic have closed at The Empire Mall.

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