Gap and Banana Republic join Macdonalds, Burger King, Ikea and a plethora of other Global companies looking to get a foothold in the Italian market. Will Italian men soon be sporting the east-coast American uniform of khaki pants and a polo shirt? I think not, but the novelty and allure of, I am assuming, low-cost american fashion will most likely be a success. During my last visit in Italy I noticed that the Burger King in piazzale Flaminio was always packed, I also noticed the interesting menu items (San Diego Burger Wrap). More and more companies look to expand into foriegn markets, one would hope that they are localizing appropriately, checking their brand and whether or not they are inadvertently committing a cultural faux pas. Some would argue that a Gap in Italy is in itself a cultural faux pas; I prefer to approach it from a darwinian perspective, if it survives and adapts then the world just successfully became even smaller.

for more info check this link:
http://cocoperez.com/2010-05-18-gap-to-enter-italy