Gap opens flagship Shanghai store

Gap (GPS.NYSE), the US clothing retailer, opened its first of four planned stores in mainland China in Shanghai Thursday, Reuters reported. The 1,140-square meter flagship store, located next to a newly opened Apple (AAPL.NASDAQ) store on Huaihai Road, is part of the retailer’s push to expand sales online and outside of the US, where consumer spending remains cautious. Gap will open another Shanghai store before the end of the year, and will open two stores in Beijing this Saturday. In an attempt to reach customers outside of Beijing and Shanghai, the retailer also introduced an online store, http://www.gap.cn, last weekend.