Jun. 24 – Popular San Francisco-based clothing retailer Gap Inc. announced on Wednesday that it would be opening two namesake stores each in Beijing and Shanghai sometime later this year, making good on an announcement last October that the company would soon be entering the Chinese market.

Despite heavy market saturation by likely competitors such as H&M and Uniqlo, Gap is confident that its casual, comfortable, and affordable apparel will catch on in the emerging Chinese consumer economy.

“There are a lot of other foreign brands in the country, but there’s not a real American brand with the full expression as to what casual apparel can be,” John Ermatinger, president of Gap’s Asia-Pacific region, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re very confident.”

In Shanghai, Gap will open up a store on Middle Huaihai Road and a two-story shop on Nanjing West Road – a famous downtown shopping street that already boasts international retailers like Bossini, Marks & Spencer, Muji, Uniqlo, and Zara. In Beijing, Gap will sell its merchandise out of a shop in Chaobei Joy City Mall and a two-story outlet on Wanfujing Street. Additionally, Gap will also launch an online shopping web site which it hopes will attract a portion of the burgeoning Chinese internet market that already claims nearly 300 million users.

Gap Inc., which also owns the Banana Republic and Old Navy brands, is the largest U.S. apparel chain and currently operates roughly 3,465 stores across more than 25 countries.