ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Gap CEO Sonia Syngal exit opens door for spin-off talks again

Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal stands before an event with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, on May 29, 2020. (Alex Brandon / AP) Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal stands before an event with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, on May 29, 2020. (Alex Brandon / AP)
Share

The abrupt exit of Gap Inc's chief executive on the back of falling sales and shrinking margins will likely push the struggling apparel retailer to sell one or more of its brands, analysts said.

The company, which owns brands such as Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic, said on Monday CEO Sonia Syngal would step down and warned of weaker margins.

Gap Inc's shares were down about 6% at US$8.20 in premarket trading on Tuesday with at least six brokerages cutting their price targets.

"The potential for Gap to announce that it is either exploring strategic alternatives (potentially including an Athleta spin-off) or a large scale SG&A cut is significantly rising upon news of the CEO departure," Credit Suisse analyst Michael Binetti said.

The company previously shelved plans to spin off Old Navy in 2020 citing increased cost and complexity in splitting the brands.

Syngal was tasked with guiding Gap Inc to safety during peak pandemic and was initially lauded by investors for doubling down on inclusivity, launching the Yeezy line with Kanye West, tying up with Walmart Inc WMT.N to create a home decor brand, as well as partnering with franchisees to run stores in Europe.

However, fashion missteps at its Old Navy brand that accounts for more than half of the company's sales, supply chain snarls and decades-high inflation derailed any recovery in sales after the pandemic.

Several analysts said issues at Old Navy would likely bleed into next year, with the company's margins suffering due to missing out on stocking key styles, while having more seasonal or less-popular styles and plus-sized clothing on the shelves.

Gap has seen its margins decrease in the past two quarters and in May forecast gross margin between 36.5% and 37.5% for fiscal 2022, below 2021 levels.

"Gap had a major opportunity to transform into a compelling recovery story once again in 2022, however, the persisting issues at Old Navy have caused a further loss of credibility," Wells Fargo analyst Ike Boruchow said.

Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected