Gap Inc plans to open about 50 new stores in the Chinese market this year, as its local operator, Baozun Inc, accelerates expansion to sustain double-digit growth in the world's second-largest apparel market.

The new outlets will be rolled out through a hybrid model combining directly operated and partner stores, in line with Baozun's asset-light strategy, Ken Huang, president of brand management at Baozun, said during a recent earnings call.

"We are accelerating our store opening efforts to build on this momentum," Huang said, adding that the company expects to maintain strong growth into next year.

Baozun opened seven Gap stores in the fourth quarter, bringing total new openings for 2025 to 29 and lifting the brand's store count in China to 164 by year-end. The company is confident in sustaining double-digit year-over-year revenue growth for the Gap business in 2026.

Gap, which Baozun acquired in late 2022, has regained significant expansion momentum over the past three years. Sales in China rose more than 20 percent in 2025, and the company aims to maintain that pace this year before accelerating to around 30 percent annual growth over the next two years, executives said.

The brand's recovery is underpinning Baozun's broader ambitions in offline retail. The company, which also operates the Hunter label in China, opened five new locations for the brand in the fourth quarter and expanded into higher-potential tier 2 cities including Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and Qingdao, Shandong province.

Baozun concluded 2025 with a total portfolio of 177 stores across its brand management business. The company noted that the expanded physical network will improve supply chain efficiency and support long-term growth.