Gap, Inc.

New York City -- The nation’s apparel retailers reported mixed results for January as shoppers remain cautious about spending in the uncertain economy.

“It was as tough month as retailers battled holiday hangover, lack of incentive to shop and mild winter that killed outerwear clearance," said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics Inc., in a Reuters report.

As the first month of the year, January accounts for only 20% November-January sales, and 7% of annual sales, according to RetailMetrics.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. has announced that Tom Wyatt, president of its Old Navy brand, has resigned in order to take a position at another company outside of the apparel retail business, effective Feb. 3. The company has named two senior executives at Old Navy to lead the division, reporting to Gap Inc. chairman and CEO Glenn Murphy, while a formal search for a new brand president is under way.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced Thursday that Tom Wyatt, president of Old Navy, will leave the chain, effective Feb. 3, 2012. The company named two senior Old Navy executives — Nancy Green, executive VP and chief creative officer, and Tom Sands, executive VP of stores and operations — to assume his duties while a search is held for a permanent replacement.

Wyatt, 56, was appointed president of Old Navy in 2008. He is leaving the chain to become the CEO of Portland, Ore.-based childhood education company Knowledge Universe.

New York City -- Athleta, the Yoga-inspired lifestyle athletic apparel brand for women owned by Gap Inc., plans to open stores in Chicago, Boston, Houston and Denver in 2012, according to Bloomberg.

In the report, Scott Key, senior VP and general manager, reiterated the company’s plan to open more than 50 Athleta stores by the end of 2013.

SAN FRANCISCO — In an effort to help the thousands of troops returning home from serving overseas, Banana Republic has announced “Our Duty to You,” a program created to help military personnel prepare for their next professional opportunities. 

I have to admit it: I was shocked when I heard the news this week that Glen Senk, the widely-admired CEO of Urban Outfitters, was resigning.  Sure, the company wasn’t coming off the best of years, having battled lackluster sales throughout much of 2011. A series of fashion misses — nothing new in the always dicey world of women’s apparel — had taken their toll on profit as the retailer sought to clear slow-moving merchandise with deep discounts.

Tokyo -- Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo apparel chain, reported Thursday a net profit of $405.3 million for the first quarter, a 37% rise that the company said was due in large part to a change in accounting methods. Operating profit dipped 2.8%.

Sales gained 8.6% overall for the quarter, but the company has trimmed its full-year outlook as sales in its home market remained sluggish.

Target may have floundered a bit in December, but many retailers reported solid sales gains for the month. Overall, retail sales rose 3.4% at the 22 retailers tracked by the Thomson Reuters same-store sales index, compared with the 3.3% analyst forecast, however results were mixed.

That was the case with the nation’s discounters and department store retailers, with many chains citing unseasonably warm weather that sapped demand for cold-weather merchandise.

In October of 2007, the U.K. newspaper, the Observer, reported that child workers, some as young as 10, were discovered working in an Indian textile factory in slave-like conditions to produce clothes for Gap Kids.  

PARIS — Gap Inc. announced the opening of its first Banana Republic store on Avenue des Champs Élysées in Pais, France. According to the company, the 15,952-sq.-ft. space will house the brand’s women’s and men’s collections and represents the most contemporary expression of the brand globally.