Gap

Retailers from Forever 21 to Gap have rushed to Hong Kong to reach the 28 million Chinese tourists passing through last year. To do so, they're paying some of the world's highest rents. Hong Kong retail rents, which rose 32 percent in prime locations last year according to Savills Plc estimates, may climb more even as global economies and property markets slow.

Gap knows that it's not about the individual pieces in your wardrobe, it's how you put them together that counts. Jeans and a T-shirt can be punk, preppy or Paris depending on how you mix and match the colors.

There are many reasons why retailers charge consumers more in Canada than they do in the U.S., but one is simply that they can, witnesses told a Senate committee yesterday.

Not that long ago, counterfeiters focused almost exclusively on upscale brands like Prada and Gucci. But five years of a weak economy has knockoff artists churning out goods for people with more modest tastes and budgets.

Pinterest, the virtual pinboard at the crossroads of social and style, has burgeoned into a marketplace for consumer brands, offering a visual and demonstrable platform for engagement. A wide range of major brands including Lands' End, West Elm, Etsy, Gap and Whole Foods are using Pinterest to engage fans through social curation and as an online focus group to see what clicks with consumers.

Gap's Athleta athletic apparel line for women plans to open stores in Chicago, Boston, Houston and Denver in 2012, Scott Key, senior vice president and general manager, said in a telephone interview.

Kim Kardashian was quick to defend herself against the New York Post's claims the Kardashian brand was quickly plummeting, but a lawyer hired by Gap has set out to discover Kim's true worth. The investigation comes after the reality TV queen filed a lawsuit against Old Navy's parent company for commercials featuring Kardashian look-alike Melissa Molinaro, alleging they deliberately infringed upon her public persona.

Athleta is kicking off the new year with an inaugural tagline and its first national campaign, "Power to the She." The Gap-owned athletic brand partnered with Peterson Milla Hooks to create the tagline and campaign, which will launch this week.

Some retailers have the practical policy that if the price advertised on their website for a product, that price will be matched in a physical store. Not so with Gap, apparently, as Consumerist reader Cara says she tried to get a price adjustment recently and was denied.

The American Family Association has published a "Naughty or Nice" list to identify retailers that were "for" or "against" Christmas. The organization wants its members and those who support its cause to spend money with those retailers who are "for" Christmas.