How anything the Gap Empire was up to escaped our attention is beyond us, but Chicagoist let us know that Gap, Inc. will be test marketing their Talbot, J. Jill and Lane Bryant competition with four stores in Chicago and one in New York. We're going to quote Chicagoist deconstructing a CNN Money article on this one:

Forth & Towne is aiming for an audience of women who dress "appropriately" and who "need outfits that can go from the office to the kids' soccer fields to dinner out." Yawn. We also read that the stores "will be designed to encourage shoppers to spend time there for more than strictly shopping" and have no idea really what that is supposed to mean. A coffee bar? A partnership with Starbucks? Sounds GREAT.

Hey, the press release is even better, what with it's description of "rapidly growing segment of the population." Is the demographic rapidly expanding, or are the members? We're all about being a jolly mesomorph, but if the population of your market for food and clothing is static, then how would increase demand? That's right -- bigger burgers and bigger blouses, baby. We're calling it the "McDonald's Industrial Complex." And they totally killed Kennedy.

Photo by Militades Mandros for LINEonline.

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