Old Navy set out to make clothes shopping more inclusive for women of all body types. It ended up with too many extra-small and extra-large items and too few of the rest, a mismatch that frustrated customers and contributed to falling sales and a management shake-up.
The stumbles at Old Navy are a problem for its parent, Gap The chain accounts for the majority of the company’s sales and profits and helps prop up the weaker Gap and Banana Republic brands. It also shows the challenges of producing a wide range of sizes that have led some brands to stop carrying plus-sizes.
