5. Banana Republic
Banana Republic was founded in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler and was purchased by Gap in 1983.
After the purchase, the clothing and accessories retailer was re-branded as a luxury clothing retailer.
To set itself apart from Gap as a more upmarket brand, Banana Republic occasionally buys and refurbishes historic buildings for its retail locations.
Banana Republic operates more than 500 stores in the United States, and 37 stores in Canada.
As of 2011 Banana Republic had 642 company owned or franchised stores in operation across 32 countries, and shipped to 20 countries through company owned websites.
