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Is the Walmart/Justice tie-up a harbinger of more retailer brand partnerships?

July 19, 2021Written by Tom Ryan

Photo: Walmart, Justice

Justice, which closed all 826 of its stores last year in bankruptcy proceedings, is making a comeback on the floors of Walmart timed to an expected record back-to-school season. Founded as Limited Too in 1987 and geared towards girls between the ages of 6 and 12, Justice was acquired last November in the bankruptcy of Ascena Retail Group by Bluestar Alliance, which also owns Hurley, bebe, Tahari and Brookstone. ShopJustice.com relaunched in April. Walmart becomes the exclusive fashion retailer for Justice with more than 140 items launching at 2,400 stores and Walmart.com. The range includes not only the fashion and accessories the brand was known for, but jewelry, bedding and bath, backpacks, stationery, skateboards and tech accessories. Shoes and pet accessories debut in September. In a blog entry, Denise Incandela, EVP of apparel and private brands, Walmart U.S. said the retail giant has added more than 1,000 national fashion brands over the last few years. These include the relaunch of private label brands Time and True and Terra & Sky; the launch of “exclusive elevated brands” such as ELOQUII Elements, Free Assembly, Scoop and Sofia Jeans by Sofia Vergara; and the recent addition of national brands like Reebok, Celebrity Pink and Champion. [embed]https://retailwire.wistia.com/medias/muck65x1j0[/embed] “Justice is a popular brand our customers know and love, and with the back-to-school shopping season underway, this new collection comes at the perfect time for our customers looking to elevate their style,” said Ms. Incandela in a press release. Walmart just launched a Gap Home collection, and many digital native brands have entered physical retail through partnerships with traditional retailers. However, partnerships among national chains are still rare. Sears drew headlines in the early aughts when it opened Lands’ End shop-in-shops. In beauty, Sephora will start opening counters inside Kohl’s in August following more than a decade-long partnership with JC Penney, while a Target/Ulta partnership begins this fall. Beyond its Sephora deal, Kohl’s has formed recent partnerships with Tommy Hilfiger, Eddie Bauer, Lands’ End and Cole Haan in a national brands push. Walmart’s closest competitors, Target and Amazon, are focusing on private label offerings in apparel, including Target’s surprising move in 2018 to discontinue the successful C9 Champion line.

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