In a move that further extends its reach offline, Wayfair is getting ready to open its first large-format store next month.
The store, located in Edens Plaza in Wilmette, Illinois, will open on May 23. The space spans 150,000 square feet — about the average size of a Costco warehouse. Comparatively, Wayfair’s existing specialty retail stores range in size from 8,000 to 15,000 square feet.
“Physical retail is the natural progression of our brand as we evolve to meet our customers wherever they are on their shopping journey — from site or app to in-store through a seamless omnichannel experience,” the company said in an email. “With one of the world’s largest catalogs in home, the store will aim to highlight the depth and breadth of the assortment in store.”
The Wilmette store will have 19 different departments — with a wider selection of products and price ranges — and include both pieces customers can take home immediately as well as items they can have delivered, according to details emailed to Retail Dive. Products include home improvement items, furniture, housewares and home decor.
The location will also include an on-site restaurant called The Porch, which will feature both indoor and patio seating for just under 100 customers.
Wayfair, like many digitally native retailers, has found value — and necessity — in having a physical presence. In 2019, Wayfair opened its first physical location, a small-format store located at the Natick Mall in the company’s home state of Massachusetts. However, about 18 months later, the retailer closed that location.
Wayfair in late 2021 announced a series of store openings spanning across all five of its brands, starting with two AllModern locations and one Joss & Main store that opened in 2022.
The large-format store opening next month also comes at a time when home retailers more broadly face challenges. After experiencing heightened demand at the onset of the pandemic, the furniture and home furnishings sector of retail has faced months of declines, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau.
Wayfair itself has experienced falling sales and growing losses recently. In 2023, which the retailer called the “Year of the Reset,” it reported net revenue fell about 2% year over year to $12 billion. Wayfair also reported a net loss of $738 million and operating loss over $800 million for the year.
