Athleta's chief leaves for Lululemon; Gap calls it a chance to rebuild the brand
Maggie Gauger, who ran Gap Inc.'s struggling Athleta for just over a year, is joining Lululemon as chief product officer; Gap CEO Richard Dickson told staff the exit lets the company "reimagine the brand's path forward".
Gap Inc. is losing the head of its activewear label Athleta to a direct rival, Bloomberg reported (via The Business of Fashion) on 9 October.
Maggie Gauger, who led Athleta for a little more than a year, is moving to Lululemon as chief product officer, where new CEO Heidi O’Neill is trying to revive sales. Athleta’s chief marketing officer, Erika Everett, will run the brand on an interim basis.
A brand that keeps slipping
Athleta has posted negative comparable sales for nearly two full years, even as Gap’s CEO Richard Dickson has improved results at the group’s other brands. In August, Gap said it expected Athleta’s sales to remain under pressure for the rest of the year.
In an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, Dickson called the departure an opportunity to “reimagine the brand’s path forward” and wrote that rebuilding Athleta “will take time, focus and discipline”. Gap said in a statement that the transition lets it accelerate changes to position the brand for long-term growth.
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