Case Study for the YMA Geoffrey Beene National Merit Scholarship

Scenario:
The Gap is a retail store that has been going through a transition for the past several seasons. The store is not doing well at retail, their sales are down, their profits are down and they have lost market share. The Gap needs to “re-invent” who they are and what type of retailer they want to be for the future.

Objective:
You will need to identify and quantify what the challenges are for the GAP. You will need to formulate a specific Merchandising/Design strategy to address specific challenges and to re-position the GAP for future growth in sales and profit. You will need to visit a GAP store within your area. You will select a classification of product (i.e. wovens, knits, khakis or denim) in men’s, women’s or children’s. Once you have established the type of product you are going to report on, you will need to shop two competitors to compare their product categories (style and design), price points and how they market and display these product categories vs. the GAP’s. Do they cater to the same target customer or a different customer?

You will need to make a presentation to address these objectives and answer the following questions below. Your answers should be based on research (show appropriate documentation) and thorough competitive analysis. The presentation can be either in written form (min 4 pages, max 10), power point or in a design portfolio (min 8 styles, max 15) with written commentary.

1. You will need to review the mission statement of the Gap. Does the mission statement represent who the Gap currently is and what it should be? How would you change the mission statement to make it work for today’s consumer?
2. Do research on the Gap, look up their financials and see what recommendations you would make to make a positive change.
   1. Write a competitive analysis of the GAP vs. the two competitive companies. Include strengths and weaknesses of the GAP vs. the competition. Identify the marketing/advertising. Does it relate to their perspective customer? How and why? Give examples?
   2. Based on the product category you have chosen; identify the strengths and weaknesses within the Gap vs. their competitors.
   3. Identify the best strategy for the Gap to implement in order to reinvent themselves and turnaround the company.
3. Construct a clear and convincing argument in favor of your strategy.

Completed Case Studies should be sent to:

The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund
36 West 20th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10011

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