Everyone's favorite khakis-pusher, GAP, is suffering. A few days ago, the New York Times reported on its disappointing sales, and now the New York Post reports that the retailer is "refocusing". Again. Back in 2000, an article in the National Post reportedly stated: "The Gap has lost its groove. Its merchandising is unfocused and it [has] lost ground to competitors. The formula that made it great no longer has the same currency." Hmmm, sounds like they still haven't exactly fixed that problem!

In 2002, the San Francisco Chronicle printed a story in which the CEO admitted that the company had poor fashion choices, including "some very strange-looking jeans". So what do the people running the show plan to do this time?

The Post says GAP is narrowing its focus to 24-to-34-year old shoppers, instead of trying to appeal to teens and adults. They've already reduced the denim range from nine different styles to five. They're not running back-to-school TV commercials this year, either. But, hey, you know what would really help? If they started making some crap we actually wanted to buy.

Aging Out: Generation Gap Refocuses Retailer [New York Post]
Related: Retail Sales Are Better Than Analysts Expected [NYTimes]
The Gap, Inc. [Answers.com]
Gap Pins Loss On Poor Fashion Sense [SF Chronicle]

Send an email to Dodai, the author of this post, at .