Dive Brief:

• Hy-Vee and The W Nail Bar have partnered to open in-store nail salons at several grocery locations this year, the Midwest grocer announced on Wednesday. The first is set to open in early April at the Hy-Vee in Bettendorf, Iowa.
• Shoppers will be able to get manicures, pedicures, nail art, waxing, tinting and other services at the in-store salons, the announcement said. Full-service manicures start at $35, while pedicures start at $55. Customers can get monthly memberships, which start at $99 per month. 
• Due to the coronavirus pandemic, The W Nail Bar is currently operating its salons at 50% capacity and has added safety measures, like contactless payment and Plexiglass barriers. Additionally, The W Nail Bar’s line of all-natural, handmade products will soon be sold at select Hy-Vee stores. 

Dive Insight:

The announcement builds on Hy-Vee’s experimentation with adding non-grocery shopping experiences and services to its stores.

Last April, Hy-Vee announced a partnership with DSW parent company Designer Brands to open DSW shoe outlets inside its grocery stores. 

In 2019, Hy-Vee announced it would add apparel and accessories from Canadian fashion retailer Joe Fresh to select stores. Two years before that, the Midwest grocer teamed up with fashion retailer F&F for several in-store shops and also added a cosmetics and beauty department at one of its stores. 

Hy-Vee has also devoted square footage in stores to fast-casual restaurants and boutique fitness studios. 

By partnering with The W Nail Bar, which was founded in Ohio by two sisters, Hy-Vee can continue to test options beyond grocery and become a one-stop shop for customers’ needs, from beauty to wellness to fashion. Other grocers have adopted or tested elements of mass retailing, including Kroger’s private label apparel line and H-E-B's in-store beauty boutique. 

Retailers are showing an increasing openness to partnering with adjacent companies in order to draw shoppers to stores. Target plans to open Ulta Beauty and Apple outlets in some of its stores, while Walgreens features Kroger mini grocery stores inside dozens of its locations.  

Hy-Vee's nail salon rollout also looks ahead to a post-pandemic future where shoppers will return to the in-store services that grocers have prioritized in recent years.  

For The W Nail Bar, teaming up with Hy-Vee combines the founders’ previous experiences of working in their family’s grocery store with their nail business. 

“Originating from a family of grocers ourselves, we could not picture a better fit for The W Nail Bar,” co-founder Lauren Hunter said in a statement.