Anthropologie to launch ‘wellness’ shops
New product line will be available Monday in Berkeley and Walnut Creek
WALNUT CREEK >> Popular retailer Anthropologie is getting into the “wellness” space with new shops that are set to land inside the company’s existing clothing stores.
After debuting its Wellness by Anthropologie shop inside the Palo Alto Anthropologie store earlier this year, Anthropologie plans to open 12 new Wellness shops this June, including in Walnut Creek and Berkeley.
The 1,000 square-foot shops inside existing Anthropologie outlets will open in Walnut Creek and Berkeley on Monday and feature fitness products, hair and skin care items, aromatherapy and essential oils, supplements, coffee and teas, crystals, and books and stationery. he brands sold in the shops will include Longemity, Revelry, Wicks & Stones, Bondi Wash, Organic Pharmacy, Vitruvi and WelleCo, among others, according to a news release from Anthropologie.
In addition to the East Bay stores, Anthropologie, which has been popular for its clothing but also sells home decor, gifts and garden products, will launch its Wellness shops in south-
ern California, Texas, Washington, D.C., Oregon, Connecticut, Arizona and New York this summer and plans to open more shops this fall.
The “store within a store” concept has expanded across retailers in recent years as the competitive industry prompts companies to find interesting uses for the large amount of brick-and-mortar retail space in the U.S.
Macy’s, for instance, has opened specialty shops for Finish Line sneakers inside its stores and the beauty company it acquired, Bluemercury. Sephora shops have landed inside JCPenney stores, and Best Buy has found success y partnering with electronics companies, including Apple, Samsung, Verizon and others, to set up areas within its stores to show off their products.
While “wellness” has come to be a rather amorphous term in the marketing world encompassing everything from fitness and food to environment and beauty, depending on who is using the label. But it could help Anthropologie attract customers, if recent research is any indicator.
Data from The NPD Group shows that the top-growing retail sectors have largely been health-related, such as fitness products and active wear. Beauty is a growing sector as well, and one shoppers increasingly associate with “wellness.” Prestige skincare brands with a focus on promoting wellness or natural ingredients grew by 13 percent in the 12 months ending August 2017, according to the data, outdoing the overall market’s 6 percent growth over that time.