Dive Brief:
- Adding another DTC brand to its lineup, Walmart is distributing products from the organic baby and essentials brand Monica + Andy, the companies announced on Friday.
- The collection, dubbed M+A by Monica + Andy, features baby clothing ranging from preemie to 18 months in stores and offers up to size 5T online, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive. The brand features mix-and-match clothing — including rompers, dresses and sets — in limited-edition prints made without chemical dyes and pesticides.
- The retailer on Friday began introducing the collection in more than 1,100 Walmart locations. M+A by Monica + Andy will also be available on the mass merchant’s website.
Dive Insight:
The partnership with Walmart will help Monica + Andy reach a new set of customers, according to founder and CEO Monica Royer.
“Partnering with Walmart and introducing the M+A by Monica + Andy brand is an exciting and meaningful opportunity that allows us to reach an expanded audience through a like-minded retailer,” Royer said in a statement. “As a mom myself, it was important to align with a brand that also puts parents first through value-added experiences and create a community that they can lean on to learn, share and support one another.”
The tie-up also allows Walmart to expand into the organic baby apparel category, according to Leslie Leonard, senior vice president of men’s, kids, baby and shoes at Walmart U.S.
Monica + Andy’s board also has a familiar face for Walmart: Andy Dunn. Dunn, who is Royer’s brother and the baby brand’s chairman, co-founded Bonobos, which Walmart acquired in 2017. After the retail giant bought the brand, Dunn became a senior vice president at the company before departing in early 2020.
The partnership with Monica+Andy adds to a growing list of DTC brands Walmart is adding to its product assortment. In July 2021, the retailer introduced the DTC skin care brand Bubble into 3,800 of its locations across the country as well as on its website. Walmart also introduced products from Grove Collaborative into more than 1,000 of its stores and online.
Such partnerships are mutually beneficial for DTC brands and major retailers. While digitally native brands bring their loyal customers into stores and diversify retailers’ product offerings, DTC brands can reach a new customer set and, in some cases, test out physical retail.
