Walmart Inc. is launching Gap Home, the casual wear giant's first home collection.
Two months after naming designer Brandon Maxwell as creative director of two elevated labels, Walmart Inc.
Gap Inc. had a rocky time during most of the Aughts. The perpetually struggling retailer in March 2020 closed all of its stores in North America temporarily due to the Covid-19 lockdown, losing 70% of its revenue.
Gap Inc. earlier this month sold multi-brand specialty retailer Intermix to private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners. The San Francisco-based retail giant owned Intermix since 2012, but the smaller business often seemed to be an after-thought for Gap, which operates billion dollar-plus brands such as Old Navy and Banana Republic with vastly different operating models.
However, Gap may have regained some of its mojo recently, as the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdowns led to a work-at-home nation that played into its laid back DNA of jeans, sweatshirts and sweatpants.
The strategic partnership to introduce Gap Home, a new brand of home essentials available exclusively at Walmart, unites two of the best-known retail brands in the U.S. and beyond. Walmart’s scale will allow Gap to bring its heritage to life through a new product category. Designs aim to be timeless and suitable for every day life
The collection will bow on June 24, exclusively on Walmart.com. The Gap Home launch will feature more than 400 items across home décor, tabletop, bedding and bath, ranging in price from $15.88 for a washed denim pillow to $64.98 for a T-shirt soft jersey reversible king size comforter set.
Designs can easily dress all rooms, from college dorms to houses to city apartments. New Gap Home seasonal and special collections will drop throughout the year and will be developed in partnership with Gap’s licensing agency, IMG.
Bedding is suitable for dorm rooms, urban apartments and suburban homes.
“We’re thrilled that Gap selected Walmart as the exclusive retailer to debut its home brand,” said Anthony Soohoo, executive vice president of home at Walmart. “A hallmark of American fashion, Gap is the ideal partner to bring its timeless, signature style into the modern home to help customers design and decorate beautiful living spaces.
“Over the past few years, we’ve focused on expanding our home assortment to bring high-quality, stylish home goods and decor to our customers at an unbelievable value,” Soohoo added. “Gap Home is the latest example of how we’ll deliver on that mission.”
Gap Home embodies the brand’s optimistic, modern American style that bridges the space between individuals, generations and cultures. The launch collection is made with the planet in mind and features materials such as denim and chambray with unique finishes at a price point that’s accessible to all customers, Walmart said, adding that the Gap Home collection includes items made with organic cotton and recycled materials.
“Walmart is a global leader in the home space with extensive digital reach and distribution, and this partnership enables Gap to introduce a new category in a smart, scalable way,” said Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Gap brand. “Gap Home at Walmart opens a new door for Gap as a lifestyle brand delivering timeless American style in all new ways. We’re excited for this growth opportunity, enabling even more customers to fall in love with Gap.”
Walmart.com has been upgrading its home business for some time. The retailer in 2018 introduced a 3-D virtual shopping tour and Buy the Room feature for the home category to give consumers a more elevated and inspiring shopping experience.
While the technology is being leveraged for home products only, Soohoo said at the time, “While we’re launching these new features for dorm rooms and small-space living, we know that they could have applications elsewhere and will continue to listen to customer feedback to determine how to implement them more broadly on the site.”
The 3-D virtual shopping tour allows customers to virtually view a curated apartment showcasing almost 70 items, including national brands and Walmart private labels. As consumers explore the apartment, they can click on products of interest in each room to get more information.
