Old Navy, LLC

Dallas -- The Shops at Park Lane, Dallas, has inked deals with seven new retailers and restaurants, with openings slated for late 2014 and into spring of 2015.  

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. reported that it will surpass 100 Gap branded stores across mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on Nov. 8 when the brand opens a location in Guangzhou. The milestone--reached less than four years after the first Gap store debuted in 2010--includes Gap and Gap Outlet stores.  

New York –- Online footwear retailer Zappos is ranked the simplest brand in the U.S. And that’s a good thing. According to the new Brand Simplicity Index ranking of U.S. brands from brand advisory firm Siegel & Gale, the top 10 list is dominated by retailers. The list includes Amazon.com at number two, Subway (#3), Pizza Hut (#4), Netflix (#5), Trader Joe’s (#6), Kroger (#7), McDonald’s (#8), Chipotle (#9) and Dunkin’ Donuts (#10).

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced it has signed agreements to open Old Navy stores in six Middle Eastern countries with franchisees Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co. and Azadea beginning spring 2015. The first markets include U.A.E., Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.   This is the second franchise market expansion for Old Navy. In March of this year, the brand opened its first franchise-operated stores in the Philippines.   

St. Louis -- Nike, Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Walmart are the top five “most beloved” brands of millenials in a report by digital advertising agency Moosylvania. The 2015 Top 50 Millennial Brand Ranking Report is based on panel studies of 1,500 millennials (defined as aged 14 to 35).   

Levi Strauss has added Jenny Ming to its board of directors. Ming is president and CEO of Charlotte Russe, a specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to young women, with more than 500 stores across the US, a position she has held since October 2009.

Redlands, Calif. -- Majestic Realty Retail announced today that it has signed lease agreements with four new retailers at its Mountain Grove at Citrus Plaza retail and entertainment center, including agreements with The Gap (7,500 sq. ft.), Banana Republic (7,500 sq. ft.), Old Navy (15,000 sq. ft.) and Ulta (10,000 sq. ft.).  An additional 100,000 sq. ft. of national and regional tenant leases are under negotiation and expected to be signed in September.

New York -- Costco Wholesale Corp. and L Brands Inc. were among the retailers that posted stronger-than-expected sales in August, fueled in many cases by back-to-school promotions.

Costco led the pack, reporting a 7% gain in August total same-store sales, ahead of views for a 4.9% gain. U.S. same-store sales, excluding the negative impacts from gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange, rose 7% as well. Top-performing categories at Costco included housewares, small appliances, apparel, fresh foods and food sundries.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit and sales and raised its full-year profit forecast, helped by strong sales at Old Navy.

Net profit rose to $332 million in the second quarter ended Aug. 2, from $303 million a year ago.

Gap posted positive comps in July for the four-week period ended August 2, buoyed by sales at Banana Republic; but preliminary second-quarter results show that comparable store sales were flat compared to the same period last year.

Net sales in July increased 5% to $1.17 billion compared with net sales of $1.12 billion for the four-week period ended August 3. For the second quarter, Gap Inc.’s net sales increased 3% to $3.98 billion compared with $3.87 billion for the second quarter last year.