Grocery Stores Are Becoming an Ideal Wholesale Partner for Beauty Brands

Beauty brands used to look for shared values and a cachet boost in a wholesale partner. But as retail braces for a second wave of nonessential store closures, beauty labels will take any chain with a strong sales pulse.

The result? Grocery stores are a growing wholesale opportunity for beauty brands, Business of Fashion reports.

• Skincare brand Pixi Beauty recently paired up with Texas grocer H-E-B.
• Whole Foods said sales within its beauty and grooming section have surged since March.

Don’t call it settling. Grocery chains aren’t currently known for prestige beauty experiences, but some have taken steps to curate an Insta-worthy assortment and layout. At the same time, shoppers are eliminating nonessential stores from their excursions (when they leave the house at all).

• With essential status guaranteeing consistent customer exposure, beauty brands could prefer a home at Whole Foods or Publix over Sephora or Ulta in the long term.

Zoom out: Mass grocers are a surprise lifeline for other products that don’t typically pair with TP and pasta. Last month, book publishers told the NYT that their steadiest pandemic sales came from essential retailers like Meijer, Costco, and Target.