Drummond, Food Network Star, Launches Houseware Line

While there’s been a lot of excitement about Walmart’s “Toy Week,” it’s also true that adults look to the holiday season for great gifts for each other, and themselves.

One option this year is a range of housewares inspired by Ree Drummond, star of the Food Network television series “The Pioneer Woman.”

The collection includes cookware, glassware, dinnerware and serving pieces. In keeping with Drummond’s style, the whole collection is in modern country designs, colors and patterns.

The collection is sold exclusively through Walmart and on Walmart.com. The items became available online Sept. 1. Starting Sept. 14, Pioneer Woman items will be available in Walmart stores.

The excitement over this collection is incredible: Drummond is a wildly successful blogger and television host. She began as a “mommy blogger” in 2006, writing about her experiences as a rancher’s wife. Her musings struck a chord with her readership, who found her down-to-earth style engaging and compelling.

Indeed, while Drummond titled her blog “The Pioneer Woman” because of her country lifestyle (that also included homeschooling her children), she actually proved to be a pioneer within the blogosphere. In the mid-2000s, blogging was still a relatively new format. Drummond, who considered becoming a lawyer prior to marrying a rancher, proved to be an excellent food blogger and photographer. Nine years later, her blog receives millions of visitors each month and has been honored as one of the top blogs in the world.

“Walmart is delighted to be the exclusive home of The Pioneer Woman collection throughout the holiday season,” said Shelley Huff, vice president of cook, dine kitchen electronics for Walmart U.S. “This collection is an exciting, fresh line of kitchen and tableware that has something for everyone — the charm for small family dinners, the style for entertaining friends and the great quality for serious cooks.’”

The timing of this partnership between Drummond and Walmart is excellent. Walmart, a pioneer in what is now considered “traditional big-box retail” has been working hard to improve its online offerings. By teaming up with a prominent blogger, Walmart accomplishes the following:

• Walmart acknowledges the significance of new media in the worlds of retail and business. Drummond emerged from what was an experimental medium that is now an established form of journalism.

• The Pioneer Woman collection is affordable, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $99. These price points meet the needs of Walmart shoppers.

There’s nothing basic about this collection. As Walmart seeks to appeal to Millennials, it’s important that its assortment reflects this generation’s preference for items that have real style. Walmart has already begun efforts to work with Millennials by partnering with celebrities like Drew Barrymore on its Flower makeup and eyewear ranges. This housewares collection appeals to shoppers of just about any age, but is likely to catch the eye of Millennials who read Drummond’s blog and appreciate its aesthetic.

Drummond is promoting the collection on her own blog and television show, sending customers to Walmart. Some of these fans of her work may not currently be Walmart shoppers or may have stopped shopping at Walmart some time ago. This provides Walmart with the opportunity to reintroduce itself to a whole new pool of consumers.