Hello, Barcelona! Gap Opens Its First Freestanding Store in Spain

Hello, Barcelona! On September 3, the franchise team opened Gap’s first freestanding store in Spain in partnership with a local franchisee.

Although Gap Brand already has a presence in Spain (we have about 75 shop-in-shop locations with multi-channel partners such as El Corte Ingles), the opening of this store is an important milestone for positioning and growing the brand in the country.

The new flagship store is located in Portal de l’Angel, which is in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarters and a major shopping district for locals and tourists in the city. The store will offer all of the Gap Icons that we know and love, and the team is doubling down by staging a permanent customization shop where customers can personalize their purchases with monograms, embroidery, patchwork, and more. This customization shop is the first to open in a Gap franchise location and is one of a few available in Gap stores globally.

To support the launch, Gap partnered with model, mother and wife of former professional soccer player Vanesa Lorenzo, who in the early 2000s modeled for our very own Gap Holiday campaign. Vanesa even showed her brand love by posting a ‘then and now’ post on Instagram with throwback images of her Gap modeling days. Now, she resides in Barcelona with her family and is excited to work with the brand again and welcome Gap to her hometown.

While the Portal de l’Angel store was originally scheduled to open in May, the grand opening was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic that has greatly affected much of Europe, including Spain. This opening serves as the first new partner, new country and new store opening for Franchise in the “new normal,” and the team is absolutely ready to welcome customers and to introduce them to the newest expression of Gap Brand!