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Dive Brief:
With back-to-school season in full swing, Bath & Body Works is bringing its top-selling beauty products to 600 college campus stores across the country, according to a company press release.
Marketing directly to a Gen Z customer base, shoppers will find fragrance mists, body care, lip care, hand soaps, candles, wallflower diffusers and sanitizers in scents that are resonating with the demographic, including Champagne Toast, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Mahogany Teakwood.
A curated selection of products is already at some schools, with more being added this fall, a company spokesperson said. The initiative marks the brand’s largest distribution effort outside of its own stores.
Dive Insight:
By investing in college campuses, Bath & Body Works is banking on capturing more Gen Z consumers.
The demographic already ranks Bath & Body Works’ products highly on third-party surveys. A recent Piper Sandler report on teen shopping preferences found Bath & Body Works was the favorite fragrance brand and third most liked beauty destination, its first top 10 finish in that category since 2018. Close to 6,500 teens with an average age of 16.2 were surveyed.
“It was important for Bath & Body Works to expand into college campuses as it allows us to reach our Gen Z customers where they are and when they need us most,” Betsy Schumacher, chief merchandising officer of Bath & Body Works, said in a statement. “By providing an easy and convenient way to shop the fragrances they know from a brand they love, we hope we can make their dorm rooms feel more like home.”
Bath & Body Works has secured multiyear agreements with the college stores and will adjust the format based on customer demand, per a spokesperson, who added: “Our campus stores initiative is just the first step in our new third-party distribution strategy. We’re putting our product in the path of the consumer — with strategic, test-and-learn expansion into new channels.”
As the retailer continues to evolve its store footprint to more off-mall locations, Bath & Body Works earlier this year launched Gingham+, a new technology-enabled store design that features an updated layout, scent bars, larger aisles and more shopping space. Efforts to improve the in-store shopping experience come as the company’s loyalty program, My Bath & Body Works Rewards, reached a record 38 million members late last year.
Financial performance has been mixed lately. After a disappointing Q4 where net sales decreased 4.3%, the retailer rebounded with a positive Q1 that saw net sales rise 3% to $1.4 billion. Just prior to its Q1 report, Bath & Body Works switched up its top leadership, terminating former CEO Gina Boswell in May and naming former Nike executive Daniel Heaf to the top spot.