Old Navy closes stores as it admits business mistakes

The largest specialty apparel company in the U.S. has enjoyed success since it launched as a denim jeans retailer in 1969.

Mid-1970s rock and roll radio commercials featured the successful Gap chain that sold Levi's, vinyl records, and tapes (likely 8-track and cassettes) for young Americans.

My memory from that era was the apparel chain's radio jingle, "Fall into The Gap."

The Gap later launched its sister specialty apparel chain, Old Navy, in 1994, which was so popular that it was the first retailer to hit $1 billion in annual sales in less than four years after launching.

Old Navy is still doing well, but sometimes it needs to close underperforming stores.

Old Navy closes Pennsylvania store

Retail giant The Gap Inc. will permanently close its Old Navy store in the Logan Valley Mall in Altoona, Pa., on June 23, according to WTAJ-TV.

The retail chain did not give a specific reason for closing the store and did not reveal the number of employees affected by the closing.

Customers can still visit its nearest Old Navy store in State College, Pa., the company said in a note posted outside the store.

Queens store also closes

The closing of the Altoona store comes five months after The Gap closed its Old Navy store at 48th Street and Northern Boulevard in Queens, N.Y., with a similar notice on Jan. 22, Queen's Gazette posted on Facebook.

The retail chain also did not state a reason for closing the Queens store.

The Gap Inc. operates 3,477 store locations under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands in 35 countries.

About 2,477 stores are company-operated units, with 1,241 Old Navy locations in the portfolio, according to a Gap statement on its earnings report.

Disappointing seasonal dress business

While The Gap did not say why it closed the Pennsylvania and New York Old Navy stores, the specialty apparel store chain said it began the year with disappointing results from its seasonal women's dress business, despite reporting a 1% increase in comp sales in its 2026 first quarter, during its earnings call on May 28.

"Overall, results for Old Navy were primarily impacted by the women's dress business, wherein reviewing the season, we did not execute as effectively, and as a result, customers did not respond to our assortment the way we had intended," The Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson said in the earnings call.

"Entering Q2, the seasonal women's dress business continues to underperform our expectations, with weakness visible across the broader seasonal product assortment as well," Dickson said.

Chain refocuses strategy

Old Navy refocused on sharper price points and stronger customer messaging to turn around the seasonal categories' performance, Dickson said. The company saw some improvement in mid-May, is monitoring the progress, and continues to make adjustments.

"While we are encouraged by the recent improvement, we also recognize that this level of performance does not reflect our full potential," Dickson said.

"There is a clear opportunity to do better. And we are working closely with the team to sharpen our focus and strengthen execution," he said.

Gap closes Oakland store

The Gap Inc. will also close a store in its Gap chain when it shutters its location on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland, Calif., in summer 2026 when its lease expires, according to KGO-TV.

Gap did not state a specific reason for closing the store, which had operated for about 26 years. It also did not reveal the number of employees affected by the closing, but said workers will have the opportunity to transfer to nearby locations.

Related: 47-year-old high-end steakhouse chain closes 80 locations

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 10:07 AM.