Walmart Leans Into Beauty With Emphasis On Indie And Multi-Cultural Brands
Forbes | September 27. 2021
The merchandising vice president for Walmart U.S. Beauty, Musab Balbale is reinventing Walmart’s beauty business one brand at a time. Collectively, more than 40 new labels have been added to the category, including an emphasis on indie brands and brands owned by people of color. To name a few - C’est Moi, Dermageek, Erase Your Face, Evolution 18, Flawless, Fortify Plus, HanHoo, Mei Apothecary, Skin Proud, True Skin and VitaminSea Beauty. Diversity underpins the assortment, with an emphasis on price and rapid replenishment.
“It’s such a rapidly changing category between indie brands and heritage brands,’ Balbale said. “Definitely, the pandemic has changed things. Beauty certainly was one of the first categories we saw come back. After the initial shutdown, people were focused on their appearance, whether it was teeth whiteners or lipstick. Beauty can be a small indulgence.”
“Multi-cultural brands are quite rapidly expanding, Balbale said, adding, “There are different ways to think about what multi-cultural means. It’s looking at who the brand serves and the audiences it's connecting with.”