This Is How The Gap Dies

Danielle Sacks
Marker
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2 min readApr 29, 2020

Dear Marker Reader,

A phrase being tossed around everywhere right now is “retail apocalypse” — first initiated by the dominance of Amazon, and now accelerated by the pandemic. It’s being deployed in conversations about main streets, e-commerce startups, and iconic retailers.

In This Is How The Gap Dies, we examine America’s most iconic retailer, asking and methodically answering the question: what would it take for The Gap brand to actually disappear? From real-estate woes and supply-chain tie-ups, to inventory hoards and debt obligations, how could the brand that once embodied everything — mall culture, khakis as cool, Gen-X angst — be dismantled into “assets coldly liquidated, stores emptied, signs removed.”

📉 READ: This Is How The Gap Dies

In other news, I’m thrilled to share that after eight months since Marker’s arrival, I’ll officially be taking over as Editor-in-Chief. I started my career as a business journalist back in 2003 as a fact checker at Fast Company magazine, and spent the next decade-plus there as a feature writer, then as executive editor at Inc. magazine. I was an accidental business journalist who loved everything about it: the ideas, the stakes, the competition, the creativity, its role in culture, and the fascinating people who continue to push business forward.

Back in August, I took the leap to Medium to help hatch its yet-to-be-conceived ad-free business pub as its executive editor — and I am so proud of the work we’ve done so far (we even won a business journalism award for our S’well investigation). But we’ve barely scratched the service. Now, more than ever, I can promise that we’ll continue to be your clarity in the chaos — and bring you the deep analysis, new ideas, and surprising, deeply-reported stories that help make you even better at what you do.

Until next week,

Danielle Sacks

Editor-in-Chief, Marker//Medium

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Marker
Marker

Published in Marker

Marker was a publication from Medium about the intersection of business, economics, and culture. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Danielle Sacks
Danielle Sacks

Written by Danielle Sacks

Editor-in-Chief of Marker, Medium’s publication about business. Former Executive Editor of Inc. magazine and Senior Writer at Fast Company magazine.