George aims to topple £9bn Gap

ASDA is predicting that George, its low-cost clothing label, will overtake Gap to become the world's biggest clothing brand within five years.

George is sold in 3,200 stores worldwide and is being introduced in the vast store network belonging to Asda parent Wal-Mart in the US, Canada, Korea, Germany and Mexico. The collection was originally designed by Next founder George Davies.

Andy Bond, Asda's non-food trading director who heads George, said the brand could outsell Gap in the medium term. Gap runs nearly 4,250 stores worldwide with annual sales of £9.1 billion.

'I have no doubts George will be the biggest single clothing brand in the world,' he said.

George has grown to a £1 billion business in Britain with a 3% market share by value and 7% by volume. Asda will open the first stand-alone High Street George store in Leeds tomorrow and another in Croydon, Surrey, next week.