• October 15, 2009

After a two-year hiatus, Gap Inc. says it is returning to TV advertising. In a meeting with investors, executives from the San Francisco-based retailer, which is still fighting through its years-long sales declines, announced that the company's flagship brand will focus on "regaining relevance with customers by concentrating on product, store experience, and creative marketing campaigns."

Like its recent 1969 premium denim relaunch, the company says it plans to concentrate on reinventing key product categories, including khaki and pants, through 2010, and that new TV ads for the chain will appear next month.

The company also says it will open its first store in China. While the company posted an 8% decline in its September same-store sales for the Gap brand, its Old Navy division, which is currently using TV ads, reported an impressive 13% gain in same-store sales.--Sarah Mahoney