Forth Towne Store

Gap Inc. said Wednesday that it would open about 10 Forth & Towne stores this fall, including at least one in the Los Angeles area, tripling the size of a fledgling chain targeting women 35 and older. Gap is "very encouraged" by shoppers' response to the chain, Forth & Towne President Gary Muto said in an interview, although he declined to give specifics about store performance. "We're excited about what we've been able to achieve in a relatively short period of time."

Gap Inc. said it would open three Forth & Towne stores in Los Angeles-area shopping centers in the fall. The San Francisco-based parent of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains opened the first five Forth & Towne stores last year and announced in March that it would unveil 10 more this fall. The new chain is aimed at women 35 and older. Forth & Towne stores will open at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles and Oaks Shopping Center in Thousand Oaks in September.

Female baby boomers who grew up in Gap jeans but found themselves sized out of the market in middle age have a new shopping alternative: Forth & Towne, Gap Inc.'s first new store concept in more than a decade. Gap hopes to woo boomers back with a store that combines the service of a boutique, the broad offerings of a department store -- and a more forgiving fit.

Gap Inc. said Wednesday that it would open about 10 Forth & Towne stores this fall, including at least one in the Los Angeles area, tripling the size of a fledgling chain targeting women 35 and older. Gap is "very encouraged" by shoppers' response to the chain, Forth & Towne President Gary Muto said in an interview, although he declined to give specifics about store performance. "We're excited about what we've been able to achieve in a relatively short period of time."

Gap Inc. said it would open three Forth & Towne stores in Los Angeles-area shopping centers in the fall. The San Francisco-based parent of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains opened the first five Forth & Towne stores last year and announced in March that it would unveil 10 more this fall. The new chain is aimed at women 35 and older. Forth & Towne stores will open at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles and Oaks Shopping Center in Thousand Oaks in September.

Female baby boomers who grew up in Gap jeans but found themselves sized out of the market in middle age have a new shopping alternative: Forth & Towne, Gap Inc.'s first new store concept in more than a decade. Gap hopes to woo boomers back with a store that combines the service of a boutique, the broad offerings of a department store -- and a more forgiving fit.