Gap Inc recently announced the opening of two new locations in South Africa under its strategic alliances channel in line with its global expansion strategy.

"South Africa is the natural next step for expanding our presence on the continent. The country has a thriving economy and high Gap brand awareness, so we believe there is tremendous opportunity for us in the market," said Stefan Laban, Managing Director of Strategic Alliances for Gap Inc.

Building on its existing wholesale relationship with Stuttafords department stores, Gap and Stuttafords opened two additional stores under its existing wholesale agreement with Stuttafords in South Africa this week. The first one opened on March 20 in Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg. The second store opened yesterday (March 21) in Cape Town's Tyger Valley Center. Each store will house products from the international Gap, GapKids and babyGap collections, with the assortment customized seasonally to suit the needs of local customers and climate.

The US-based company also announced that in 2012, it plans to open stores in three additional growing apparel markets, Lebanon, Georgia and Azerbaijan. According to Gap Inc, it has signed a new agreement with Azadea group, one of the largest retailers in the Middle East, to open the first Gap store in Lebanon, one of the main fashion centers of the region, later this year.

On the other hand, to enter the market of the Common Wealth of Independent States (CIS), it has expanded its existing agreement with its retail partner, Al Hokair, to open its first Gap and Banana Republic stores in Georgia this April, followed by the first Gap store in Azerbaijan this August.

"Extending our presence in Africa, the Middle East and CIS demonstrates the effectiveness of our international formula and the continued flexibility of our franchise model, which allows us to reach new customers quickly around the world," said Mr Laban.