“We want to encourage families to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, and a strategic partnership with WW provides the opportunity to further advocate for the health and wellbeing of Kohl’s customers and our associates,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer.
Throughout 2019, Kohl’s and WW will pilot a variety of health and wellness offerings to help customers and Kohl’s associates on their wellness journeys, including the debut of its first in-store WW Studio, the introduction of WW Healthy Kitchen products at select Kohl’s stores and on Kohls.com, as well as subsidised WW Freestyle programme memberships for Kohl’s associates through the retailer's Healthy Rewards.
The move follows Kohl’s efforts to shrink store footprints, for instance by yielding space to minimalist grocer Aldi, and drive traffic, with efforts like Amazon concessions and returns in some stores. CNBC reports that the tie-up is another way the retailer hopes to differentiate itself from its peers that are struggling to keep shoppers coming to their stores rather than shop online.
For WW, the deal has the potential to vastly expand its physical presence and make it visible in new markets.
“As we aim to become the world’s partner in wellness, we are continuously looking for ways to make wellness more accessible,” said Mindy Grossman, president and CEO, WW. “By collaborating with Kohl’s, we will give people new experiences and ways to engage with WW as we build our wellness ecosystem, while getting access to unique products and tools to help them on their journey. We know the Kohl’s customer is also our customer, so offering our Workshops through a WW Studio at Kohl’s is a new way for us to meet people where they are.”
