Walmart to tout fashion in a 40-city ‘Style Tour’

Walmart is not known for its fashion apparel. But on the heels of a major revamp of the fashion department in its store remodels, the Bentonville-based retailer is hitting the road with plans to visit 40 U.S. cities through October with its first “Walmart Style Tour.”

The tour comes on the heels of a $2 billion revamp of its No Boundaries private fashion brand announced in June. The retail giant hired an experienced design group focused on the No Boundaries brands for Gen Z consumers (ages 14-27). Walmart also expanded the size range in the brand to fit XXS to 5X in young women and XS to 3X in young men.

Walmart announced the tour last week with a dedicated page at Walmart.com where customers can shop products on the tour that began in Chicago in conjunction with the Taste of Chicago event held Sept. 6 in Grant Park. The tour coincides with city festivals.

“The Walmart Style Tour is the first time we are creating this kind of experience for fashion and we can’t wait to bring it to communities across the country at events we know our customers are already planning to attend,” said Kim Tunick, Walmart group director, brand experiences and partnerships. “We’re elevating our shopping experience and bringing the style, the styling tips, and fun right to them.”

At each stop on the tour, the retailer will offer “Walmart Finds,” a curated assortment of recommended items shared on a blog and social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. To promote omnichannel, Walmart said items will be shoppable via QR codes. Walmart will offer activities at each stop that include on-site stylists, free color analysis, fashion tips and personalized giveaways.

The style tour comes as Walmart looks to bolster its apparel sales amid rising competition from foreign fast fashion e-tailers Shein and Temu. In addition, at all Style Tour stops, Walmart will promote its private label fashion assortment, such as its Scoop and Free Assembly lines created by designer Brandon Maxwell who signed on with Walmart in 2021 to revamp and elevate everyday essentials and more-trend-driven fashion each season of the year.

Denise Incandela, head of fashion at Walmart, has said the retailer is working to change consumer perceptions around its ability to offer fashion at a discount. The retailer is adding more national brands such as Levi and Reebok while also investing in private brands with more appealing clothing displays in stores with mannequins and creative imagery.

Fashion is a $7.2 trillion business and Walmart wants a large slice of the pie. Coresight Research estimates Walmart U.S. had fashion sales of around $29.5 billion last year, which included third-party sales on its marketplace, but excluded Sam’s Club. In the recent second quarter results, Walmart reported relatively flat comp sales for general merchandise, but said fashion, toys and home sales led the 20% growth in marketplace.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has said fashion was an area where Walmart had historically punched below its weight in general merchandise. He said Walmart now has the tools to grow the general merchandise business. Top Walmart execs have also said in stores where the fashion merchandise has been restaged to more closely resemble an apparel store like Gap, consumers are spending more.