Walgreens partners with beauty retailer Birchbox
Walgreens and online beauty retailer Birchbox Thursday said they will team up to build Birchbox retail experiences within select Walgreens stores.
The multichannel offering will bring beauty brands into Walgreens stores and allow customers to discover and shop for new brands in an interactive way.
As part of the relationship, Walgreens will also acquire a minority equity interest in Birchbox.
The collaboration between Walgreens, with its convenient retail locations and omnichannel presence, and Birchbox will offer customers the opportunity to try out new brands and products. The initial pilot will include 11 Walgreens locations across major U.S. cities, rolling out from this December through early 2019.
"This is an exciting time for beauty at Walgreens," said Richard Ashworth, president of operations at Walgreens.
"In Walgreens, we have found an exciting partner that supports our mission of reaching an underserved customer who doesn't prioritize beauty," said Katia Beauchamp, CEO and co-founder of Birchbox.
The in-store Birchbox experiences within Walgreens will have dedicated space with Birchbox branding, elevated design and a curated product assortment featuring full-sized skin care, hair and makeup products from more than 40 prestige brands. Birchbox-trained Walgreens beauty consultants will be available to offer advice and guide the customer through the experience.
Additionally, within the Walgreens pilot stores, Birchbox will offer subscriptions to its monthly delivery services of personalized samples and a "Build Your Own Birchbox" experience (BYOB), which is a signature element of Birchbox's flagship stores in New York City and Paris.
The launch of this collaboration with Birchbox marks further progress on Walgreens enhanced beauty offering for customers, which includes a differentiated beauty offering in approximately 3,000 stores across the U.S., a Beauty Enthusiast club within the Balance Rewards® loyalty program and more than 3,500 in-store Beauty Consultants.