Gap Inc. acquires Intermix!

Just the other day, a friend and I were discussing how exciting it used to be to travel abroad and discover unique shops that didn’t yet exist in the US. 
I remember the day I walked into my first Zara in Barcelona and thought that I had found heaven on earth!

Now, there is a Zara on every corner and every specialty shop is slowly being gobbled up by major retailers like the Gap…Sigh!
There was so much buzz last Spring when local fashionistas learned that Intermix was opening on Walnut Street in Philadelphia only to learn now that Gap Inc. has finalized the details of their acquisition of the specialty retailer.

WWD reports that the deal, which fueled some rumors and speculation last month, closed on December 31 to the tune of $130 million.
The Pros?  The partnership should aid both brands: Intermix can use Gap’s massive reach to grow their own retail and e-tail presence, while Gap can benefit from Intermix’s expertise in the contemporary luxury market. 
Gap also intends to help beef up Intermix’s web site with some innovative-sounding improvements.

“We have an omnichannel strategy that we’re putting in place where we bring the Web and the store experience together,” a Gap exec told WWD. “Some of our Web orders are shipped from the stores. Customers can find an item on the Web and search for it in stores around [them] to find where it is available. The natural progression is to buy it online or reserve it in the store, and then go and pick it up.”
The Cons? Gap hasn’t exactly provided the most exciting or innovative shopping experience in recent years, but this approach to e-commerce sounds downright revolutionary.