Madison Reed Enters Walmart in Wholesale Push — How Will Both Benefit? 

Madison Reed is introducing its products into Walmart stores and on Walmart.com as the hair color retailer seeks to reach new audiences. This is Madison Reed’s newest wholesale partnership with a retailer, though its products already appear in Ulta Beauty and Target as well as on Amazon.

Madison Reed is seeking to harness what it called “a year of explosive growth for the brand.” Working with Walmart will put Madison Reed’s products in front of 240 million customers each week at 10,500 stores and on websites in 19 countries. Madison Reed has its own brick-and-mortar business, with 87 Hair Color Bars, but the potential exposure through Walmart is far greater than what its current physical footprint can offer.

"As a true omnichannel brand, we are dedicated to meeting our guests where they are and the beauty in this model is we are everywhere they need us,” said Madison Reed Founder and CEO Amy Errett in a press release. “Walmart is a key partner in accomplishing this goal."

Walmart has already rolled out Madison Reed products at more than 1,500 stores. The retail giant will carry 28 SKUs from the hair color brand.

The addition of Madison Reed products at Walmart stores could help it keep up with the beauty expansion ongoing at rival Target. Target, in addition to its store-in-store Ulta locations, added skincare brand Futurewise to its assortment in February 2023. This was part of a push to introduce “thousands” of trending beauty products to its shelves.

From Madison Reed’s perspective, getting products into potentially thousands of new stores could be a great way to boost its DTC business. For instance, while Warby Parker hasn’t found a partner as big as Walmart, the brand is planning to open 13 new outposts this year to help expand the physical side of its brand. Additionally, a BHDP study found that 68% of consumers will shop online after making a purchase from a retailer’s physical store.

The relationship between Madison Reed and Walmart could prove quite beneficial for both parties. What remains to be seen is if Madison Reed will seek further growth through wholesale and if Walmart will attract other big-name beauty retailers to further build out its offerings.