Gap

WASHINGTON – A host of retail groups, retailers and retail property firms have called on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, known as the "Super Committee," to give states more leverage to collect sales taxes from Internet retailers and catalog merchants. About 70 national and state retail organizations and more than 60 retailers and retail property companies have signed a letter to the Super Committee that urges lawmakers to eliminate a loophole that prohibits states from requiring remote sellers to collect sales and use taxes owed on purchases from out-of-state vendors. The groups say the loophole gives online

Warsaw, Poland -- Gap opened its debut store in Poland on Thursday to some 200 people waiting in line to shop Central Europe’s first Gap store. The store, located in Warsaw’s Arkadia mall, was opened by Gap’s Polish franchise partner Ultimate Fashion, which plans to open additional stores in Poland in 2012.

Gap claims the increase in shopping on its mobile site is one of the major reasons why it's tripled its online conversions in the last year. The retailer pointed to the important role that mobile plays for the company, saying that online conversion rate lifts can also be attributed to the company’s new mobile commerce platform.

Gap is closing stores and downsizing others in the U.S. as it focuses on international expansion, the company said. The long-struggling apparel giant plans to reduce the number of Gap brand stores in North America to 700 by the end of 2013, a 34 percent decrease in the number of those stores when compared to the end of 2007. It didn't specify which stores would close.

Gap announced it will close 189 stores as well as downsize an undisclosed number of Old Navy stores in the U.S. and expand overseas growth. The long-time struggling apparel retailer plans to reduce the number of Gap brand stores by 21% — from 889 to 700 — by the end of 2013. The retailer did not reveal which Gap stores will close.

Gap is growing its footprint in Latin America through franchising. The company will open its first stores in South America in Chile this month through a partnership with locally based merchant Komax. Gap will also introduce Gap and Banana Republic stores to Panama and Colombia in 2012.

The Gap wants Kim Kardashian's lawsuit over an advertisement that featured a look-alike to be thrown away. The reality TV star sued in July over an Old Navy commercial that showed an actress that purportedly looked like Kardashian singing her love of bargain-basement jeans.

New York City -- Despite ongoing concerns about the economy, retailers fared surprisingly well in September, helped by the tail end of back-to-school shopping and cooler temperatures. Overall, Thomson Reuters, which tracks same-store sales for a group of 23 national chains, said the group was expected to post a 4.6% increase in same-store sales for September. Retailers surpassed expectations, with a 5.1% rise led by strong performances from Target, Limited Brands, Zumiez and Costco Wholesale, among others. Walgreens, however, disappointed with a 3.1% rise in same-store sales, missing analysts’ expectations. Still, the U.S. consumer in September "showed resilience in

Social networking site GetGlue is adding a new dimension to its existing partnership with Entertainment Weekly, rewarding users who check in to one of the publication's 12 recommended fall TV shows with virtual stickers they can redeem for a 40 percent discount on a regularly priced item at adult Gap stores for the next month.

Gap has opened its first Banana Republic store in Russia, in Moscow's AfiMall City. In related news, the company will open its first Gap store in Belgrade, Serbia today.