Dive Brief:
- Further growing its product assortment, Bath & Body Works expanded its fabric care collection of laundry detergents and scent boosters into all of its U.S. stores on Monday, the company announced.
- The collection features 16 scents, including Mahogany Teakwood, Champagne Toast, Sun-Drenched Linen and Cactus Blossom, per the company’s website.
- The company expanded its fabric care collection to over 1,870 stores nationwide after successfully piloting it last year at 80 locations, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
Bath & Body Works continues to expand its product assortment to attract more customers. Its new fabric care collection follows its initial launch last year, during which the retailer asked its loyalty program members to vote for their favorite scent among 14 exclusive fragrances.
Bath & Body Works developed and released its new line in response to consumer demand for fabric care products and the brand’s scents, said Betsy Schumacher, Bath & Body Works’ chief merchant, in a statement. The company recently introduced its Vampire Blood fragrance to laundry as a seasonal release to test it and it was “a big hit,” according to Schumacher. The retailer plans to release more seasonal fragrances in the future.
“Fabric care has opened our eyes to other opportunities and white space within home fragrance and we’re committed to bringing even more newness to our customers,” Schumacher said in a statement. “While we can’t share specifics, we’re looking forward to expanding our home fragrance footprint even further.”
The company also unveiled its men’s product line last year, featuring beard oil, beard and scruff cream, face wash and lotion. This spring, Bath & Body Works said that its men’s assortment rose to become the retailer’s fastest-growing category.
The retailer is adding new products to entice consumers as sales have declined. In its second quarter earnings report, Bath & Body Works said net sales dipped 2.1% year-over year to $1.5 billion. During an earnings call with analysts, CEO Gina Boswell also noted that its semi-annual sale “fell short of our expectations.”
Bath & Body Works recently made a significant leadership change. Last week, the company announced that Julie Rosen would no longer serve as president of retail, ending her four-year tenure. The company also decided to eliminate that role. Rosen oversaw the retailer’s merchandising, design, planning, allocation and other functions.
