Retail Pulse: goop Finds Stickiness In New York, Opens ‘Lab’; Nordstrom To Offer Early-Bird Pickup

Digitally native brands often test the retail waters with pop-up shops, and, after some offline success, they may expand their concepts with permanent locations. Lifestyle brand goop, for instance, is opening its first permanent store in the SoHo district of New York City, called goop Lab, after experimenting with a pop-up shop in nearby Long Island, among other locations.

The opening comes just over a decade after the brand’s chief executive, the actress Gwyneth Paltrow, published her first goop newsletter in the United Kingdom. Since then, the company has tried its hand at pop-up locations in areas like Aspen, Sag Harbor, New York, Dallas and London. The company also opened a permanent store in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California last year.

New York City seems like a natural fit for the company’s second permanent store, as goop Chief Revenue Officer Kim Kreuzberger told Glossy that 12 percent of the company’s online sales come from the New York metro area (more than San Francisco and Los Angeles). And when it comes to the company’s brick-and-mortar game plan, Kreuzberger told the outlet, “our strategy has always been about opening a small number of stores where we have the deepest penetration.”

The brand’s new digs in the Big Apple, however, will be somewhat different than its brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles. It will have more of a seasonal focus and will offer more expensive items. (As Kreuzberger told Glossy, “there is less resistance to price in New York.”) It will also offer a larger jewelry selection and exclusive brands like Sidney Garber, who has bracelets that sell for $8,600 and up. In addition, the location will feature brands like the company’s own G. Label collection, along with offerings from Rochas and Victoria Beckham, among others.

From a design standpoint, the store was created with three distinct spaces in mind: an arrival point, a jewelry room and a space that houses wellness and beauty items, along with a working kitchen. Of the store’s aesthetic, Architectural Digest wrote: “Each of the spaces feels cleverly designed for its intended purpose, yet carries the theme of Old Hollywood glamour–meets–New York townhouse throughout.”

The location will also feature in-store experiences. Customers can join goop’s Executive Beauty Editor Jean Godfrey-June for a master class, and shoppers can sample the company’s products, such as GOOPGENES collagen mix and GOOPGLOW Morning Skin Superpowder. The idea is that the store will be more than just a place to experience the goop brand in person – it will also be a place to visit for live events.

In Other Brick-and-Mortar News

Walmart plans to offer digital maps and speedier checkout in its stores to guide shoppers as it prepares to take a larger chunk of consumer spending over the holidays. In addition, Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Steve Bratspies noted that the company has a level of comfort with its in-stock inventory. (Last year, sales had been impacted by inventory as the company brought on more items for the holidays, such as gifts, toys and electronics, but didn’t have sufficient amounts of everyday products.)

In preparation for the holiday season this year, the retailer has updated its website and also plans to have a larger array of electronics, toys and fashion products. The retailer also has a new feature called “Check out with Me,” which enables shoppers to skip the checkout lines and make payments within the departments of its stores.

On another note, Nordstrom is making holiday shopping less stressful by offering early-bird pickup and round-the-clock curbside service. For a few weeks in December, shoppers can visit Nordstrom stores starting at 8:00 a.m. to pick up online purchases via curbside services. And, while the retailer offers curbside pickup year-round, customers will be able to pick up their items 24 hours a day in select locations during a short period in December leading up to Christmas.

Nordstrom’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Shea Jensen was quoted in USA Today as saying, “The retail landscape is evolving faster than ever before. In order to meet the needs of our customers, we need to adapt and find new ways to offer them the experiences and service they’re looking for. These efforts are really centered around the ideas of personalization, speed and convenience.”

And Build-A-Bear Workshop plans to open new permanent shops at FAO Schwarz’s new flagship and at four Great Wolf Lodge locations to bring its products to destinations popular with families. The retailer also plans to open seasonal pop-ups at six locations of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. In an announcement, Build-A-Bear Workshop Chief Operations Officer Chris Hurt said, “From permanent installations to seasonal shops, Build-A-Bear and our world-class partners are helping loved ones create memories and spend more time together.”

With the rollout, Bass Pro Shops locations in Indiana, California, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado are said to host the pop-up shops, along with Cabela’s stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Utah and Texas. Permanent shops will come to Great Wolf Lodge locations in Minnesota, Colorado, Massachusetts and Ohio.

For more on the latest retail trends, keep your finger on the PYMNTS’ Retail Pulse.