The Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS) is an American clothing and
accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by
Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the
namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of
September 2008, Gap, Inc. has approximately 135,000 employees and operates
3,076 stores worldwide, of which 2,551 are in the United States. Gap, Inc. remains the largest specialty
apparel retailer in the U.S., though it has recently been surpassed by the
Spanish-based Inditex Group as the world's largest apparel retailer.
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Despite the company's publicly
traded status, the Fisher family remains deeply involved in Gap, Inc.'s
business and collectively owns a significant quantity of the company's stock.
Donald Fisher served as Chairman of the Board until 2004, playing a role in the
ouster of then-CEO Millard Drexler in 2002, and remained on the board until his
death on September 27, 2009. Fisher's wife and their son, Robert J. Fisher,
also serve on Gap's board of directors. Robert succeeded his father as chairman
in 2004 and also served as CEO on an interim basis following the resignation of
Paul Pressler in 2007, before being succeeded permanently by Glenn K. Murphy.
(reference: Wikipedia)
