Athleta Opens Second Company-Operated Canadian Store in Toronto

Toronto, Nov. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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. 

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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 Athleta
A 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

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Attachments

• 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