Dive Brief:

• After receiving a hefty investment to support Saks.com, Saks on Thursday announced it has launched a Wellness Shop on Saks.com, where customers can shop for women's and men's fitness, sexual wellness, health and nutrition, and rest and relaxation products.
• The shop will feature more than 100 brands, half of which are new to the retailer. Among the brands featured in the Wellness Shop are SoulCycle, Vitamix and Beyond Yoga, according to a press release. 
• Coinciding with the launch, the retailer is publishing an Edit article with shoppable content and hosting events between Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 on Saks Live. One of the virtual events will feature celebrity trainer and choreographer Isaac Boots and Terez founder and CEO Zara Terez Tisch, during which the two will host an online workout session, per the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Saks has been reworking its e-commerce operations for the past year. Last March, with a $500 million investment from Insight Partners, HBC established a standalone e-commerce business dubbed "Saks", a digital spinoff from the company's brick-and-mortar storefronts. Later that year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was preparing for an initial public offering.

"Saks is thrilled to expand our array of wellness offerings, solidifying our position as the ultimate luxury retailer," Tracy Margolies, chief merchandising officer at Saks, said in a statement. "A holistic, all-encompassing approach to health is essential. With the addition of this new shop and products, we are now able to serve multiple aspects of the luxury customers' lifestyle, from fashion to wellbeing."

Saks joins other retailers in curating more wellness products in their selections. In 2019, Neiman Marcus introduced a "Clean Beauty" online shop, which showcased products without chemicals like parabens, phthalate, sulfate and silicone. Ulta, which has been working toward reaching $10 billion in net sales by 2024, has been adding more wellness products to its assortment to appeal to shoppers who don't distinguish wellness products from beauty items. And Hims & Hers has landed in a number of retailers this year, including Walgreens, The Vitamin Shoppe and Urban Outfitters, to offer its sexual health products, supplements and wellness items online and in stores.