Dive Brief:
- Adding another brand to its lineup, Walmart has entered into an exclusive distribution deal to sell Destination Maternity’s spring and summer fashions in select stores and online, the retailer announced on Thursday.
- As part of the deal, the retailer will feature various maternity items such as dresses, jeans, jeggings, leggings, nursing bralettes, tops, bottoms and activewear. The clothing ranges from small to XXXL, per the press release.
- Parents-to-be can add Destination Maternity products to their baby registry on Walmart’s website and in select stores, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
For Marquee Brands, owner of Destination Maternity, the distribution deal with Walmart and the multi-year licensing agreements with apparel manufacturing company Topson Downs and clothing development and manufacturing company Tefron will allow the brand to gain more market share, Tim Reid, executive vice president of fashion and lifestyle at Marquee Brands, said in a statement.
“Walmart is continuing to establish itself as a fashion destination, and that includes expanding our assortment of quality, on-trend apparel and accessories for new and expectant mothers,” Berch Schultz, vice president of merchandising, intimates at Walmart, said in a statement. “As we continue to expand our assortment of national brands, we’re excited to offer Destination Maternity exclusively to Walmart customers at the low prices they expect from us.”
Destination Maternity filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Shortly thereafter Marquee Brands paid $50 million to take over the retailer's intellectual property and assets and liquidate the company's stand-alone stores.
At the start of this year, Marquee Brands gave North American operational control of Destination Maternity, along with its Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod brands, to Hatch CEO Ariane Goldman. Marquee retained ownership over the intellectual property of those brands. As a result of the deal, a new parent company dubbed Hatch Collective was formed, led by Goldman.
In addition to Destination Maternity’s clothing, Walmart has been integrating other DTC brands in recent years, including Bubble, Revolution Beauty and Monica + Andy, into its product assortment. However, the retailer has also been selling off some of its DTC acquisitions, including Eloquii, Bonobos and Moosejaw, to focus on its core business instead.
