Gap Inc said on Monday it has entered a strategic partnership with Iconic Brands Nordic LLC to expand its namesake brand across the Nordic and Baltic markets, marking the retailer’s latest push to widen its footprint in Europe through franchise and wholesale channels.
The San Francisco-based apparel group said the rollout would unfold in three phases. Gap launched on Swedish e-commerce platform Boozt in August, reaching shoppers in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. That will be followed by openings inside Stockmann department stores across Finland, Estonia and Latvia, before Gap opens its first dedicated retail store and e-commerce site in Estonia in September.
Facundo Ginobili, senior vice president of franchise and wholesale at Gap Inc, said the partnership reflected the company’s long-term commitment to markets it views as offering meaningful growth potential, adding that the brand would be built through storytelling, experiences and omnichannel retail.
Kristjan Rajando, chief executive of Iconic Brands Nordic, said the venture aimed to make it easier for customers to discover Gap whether shopping online or in physical stores, citing confidence that the brand’s style and essentials would resonate across the region.
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Iconic Brands Nordic was formed in 2025 as a joint venture between Brandgate Group and Tristafan, combining retail and wholesale expertise with investment capital. The company holds exclusive regional rights to Gap in the Nordic and Baltic markets and has said it intends to become the leading fashion distributor in Northern Europe.
The expansion adds to a string of recent moves by Gap Inc to broaden distribution beyond its own stores and website. The company operates Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, selling apparel, accessories and lifestyle products through company-run and franchise stores as well as e-commerce in markets worldwide.
Retailers including Gap have increasingly turned to franchise and marketplace partnerships to enter smaller European markets without the capital outlay of opening company-operated stores, relying instead on local partners with existing retail infrastructure and consumer reach.
Gap did not disclose financial terms of the partnership or provide sales projections for the Nordic and Baltic region. The company’s Nordic and Baltic expansion follows a broader pattern of growth across Europe as it seeks new revenue streams outside its core North American market.
Founded in 1969, Gap Inc describes itself as the largest specialty apparel company in the United States. Its brands are sold worldwide through a mix of company-operated stores, franchise partners and e-commerce platforms, a distribution model the company has leaned on more heavily as it pursues international growth without the overhead of direct ownership in every market it enters.