IADS Exclusive - Wellness: the next step in Galeries Lafayette’s makeover
With Covid, the search for wellness has become increasingly important for consumers. In a survey from McKinsey, the global wellness market was estimated at USD 1.5 trillion in 2021, with a predicted annual growth of 5 to 10%. In this survey, 79% percent of the respondents said they believe that wellness is important, and 42% consider it a top priority.
As a consequence, retailers started to tip toe in this relatively unknown part of the business, in the intersection of beauty, sports practice, health products and services. Selfridges first launched a wellness program in February 2022. Dubbed “Superself”, the initiative included paid sex counselling sessions, confidence coaching sessions and other services to help customers live a “brighter lifestyle”. This month, they are transforming their Corner Shop into “The Feel Good Bar”, a well-being destination focusing on sex and sleep-enhancing products and services. The cinema at Selfridges will also be part of the program, converting into a sleep session area. Health-based experiences like acupuncture sessions, IV drips, bio-hacking, and oxygen therapy will become available later this year. Also in the UK, on top of a cosmeceutical space, Flannels partnered with Barry’s Bootcamp to open a gym in their new Liverpool store. In the US, mental health initiatives developed in the past months for instance at Walmart, CVS and Rite-Aid drugstores.
In France, last year, Monoprix launched “La Santé au Quotidien”, a new department dedicated to products that are in between traditional beauty offerings and medical treatments. In March 2022, Le Printemps Haussmann store also launched a new beauty floor gathering beauty services such as manicures, pedicures, brow services, hair products and a salon, dermo-cosmetics and food supplements, as well as a spa developed with the Face 2 Une beauty tech brand, proposing no gender services through manual massages and machines. Next September, using a more confidential approach, Le Bon Marché will also open a permanent 150 sqm beauty salon.
Obviously, initiatives are plentiful but Galeries Lafayette goes further than any other department store in the wellness business. Last week, and after a year in the making, they opened the “Wellness Galerie” in their Haussmann store. On 7 July, Alexandre Liot (Haussmann Store Director) and Arthur Lemoine (Offer and Buying Director) unveiled the new floor. The IADS attended the floor visit for you, and we are delighted to report back this exciting member news.
IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 20 July 2022.
