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closure sought

Gap has closed down its two most-popular online stores to upgrade them before the holiday shopping season, and both both Gap.com and OldNavy.com have remained closed an entire week, frustrating shoppers and driving them to other websites to shop, reports the AP. Nor is it clear when the sites will reopen. Gap is instead asking visitors to leave their email addresses so that it can inform them when the sites are again functioning.

Banana Republic, owned by Gap, closed its site two days before reopening on August 26. Gap's sales have been sagging, and the continuing shutdowns are certainly not helping. Gap.com and OldNavy.com accounted for 3 percent of Gap revenue last year.

A company spokeswoman said the changes were too complex to enable the sites to continue running. "We think this [upgrade] is going to make for a more compelling and exciting experience for shoppers," Marubio said.