Gap closing stores in U.S. and expanding in China

Gap Inc., the largest U.S. clothing chain, detailed plans Thursday to close stores in the U.S. while expanding globally, according to an Associated Press report.

The San Francisco-based company, which has six Gap locations in Utah, according to the company website, said it plans to close 189 stores, or 21 percent of the chain, in the U.S. by 2013, the AP report says.

"Over the next 26 months, we'll look store by store at our specialty fleet and determine which stores meet the standards we've set for our brand," Art Peck, president of Gap North America, told the Associated Press. "This is a continuation of our work since 2007."

While closing stores in the U.S., the struggling retailer, which also operates Old Navy and Banana Republic, plans to expand the number of stores in China to roughly 45 from its current 15 locations, the article states.

Jon Byington is the founder of DosLives.com, a news and entertainment website that reaches the growing number of Latinos in the U.S.