Retailer Gap set to axe 19 UK and Ireland stores

Gap currently has outlets at Arnotts, Dundrum Town Centre and Blanchardstown in Dublin and one in Limerick's Crescent Shopping Centre.

A branch of Gap on Oxford Street, central London. The retailer is to shut 19 UK and Ireland stores (Yui Mok/PA)

Gap has said it plans to close 19 stores in the UK and Ireland next month as part of a shake-up aimed to return the brand to growth.

The US-based retailer said it is proposing to close the shops when their leases end in July but did not clarify how many jobs would be impacted by the move.