TUPELO – The Gap store inside The Mall at Barnes Crossing is closing this month, according to a mall official.

But Gap won’t lose a Tupelo presence. Last year, it started construction on a Gap Outlet store next to Old Navy.

Jeff Snyder, general manager of the mall, Monday said the management and core Gap employees from the mall store will transfer to the Gap Outlet store.

“It’s a conversion that really works,” he said. “The outlet will offer customers a larger selection than what Gap currently offers.”

The Gap location inside the mall will close by Jan. 31, Snyder said. He expects the outlet to open within a month or two.

The vacancy leaves space for new stores in the mall. Officials previously confirmed new clothing retailers will be Chico’s, Francesca’s and Express.

Snyder said Gap has been a mainstay inside the mall. It’s gone from a combination store of men’s, women’s and kids clothes to two separate stores and then back to a combo store.

It was one of the first stores in the mall to hit $1,000 of sales per square foot, Snyder said.

At this point, he thinks a Gap Outlet will do well in Tupelo.

“The size needed for a Gap Outlet wouldn’t fit” inside the mall, he said.

So, Gap is moving into the former Circuit City location next to Old Navy. The previous tenant, Furniture Center, has moved to a building on McCullough Boulevard, next to Trails & Treads.

carlie.wells@journalinc.com