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Photo Credit: Getaway

Walmart Partners with Getaway to Connect with Consumers in the Great Outdoors

Walmart partnered with Getaway to create small-format outdoors stores at Getaway campsites, branded as The General Store by Walmart. Getaway is a nature and outdoors company that places tiny cabins approximately two hours from major cities. With no Wifi, users are encouraged to unplug and embrace the nature around them – Walmart is Getaway’s first official retail partner. The General Stores offer a curated assortment of outdoor essentials for customers looking to spend time in nature. Read on for our take on the collaboration and our thoughts on the efficacy of unexpected retail partnerships.

The ‘General Store’ Features a Curated, Seasonal Product Assortment for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Getaway’s General Store is a small-format retail concept which features seasonal products, hiking gear, campfire tools and other recreational equipment. The products are sourced from Walmart’s inventory and expertly curated by the Getaway team. The General Stores are located exclusively at Getaway campsites. This enables Getaway renters to shop for their needs and wants for the outdoors while remaining in nature.

product assortment

Photo Credit: Walmart

The first store is scheduled to open in Wimberley, Texas this fall, with an additional four stores slated to open in New York, Connecticut, California, and Missouri by the end of 2022. However, the stores are on wheels, completely portable, inviting an exciting opportunity to bring the concept to other markets.

Getaway Benefits from Walmart’s Supply Chain and Scale

Getaway’s choice to take on Walmart as its first retail partner allows the company to leverage Walmart’s expansive inventory, low prices, and industry-leading supply chain. Walmart currently has over 100,000 products in its sports and outdoors category. This vast assortment, combined with expertise from the Getaway team provides a meaningful, curated experience for customers, while also leveraging Walmart’s “everyday low prices” and expansive inventory in the category.

General Store items

Photo Credit: Walmart

Walmart has the scale to consistently stock and serve General Store locations. Along with its 31 e-commerce distribution centers, Walmart has 4,700 stores located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population. While the General Stores are a brick-and-mortar experience, they will benefit from Walmart’s efficiency and scale to source products to the remote areas that Getaway serves.

Getaway x Walmart partnership

Photo Credit: Getaway

Walmart also plans to bring this curated experience to its e-commerce channel. General Store merchandise will be featured on a Getaway shopping page on Walmart.com – e-commerce has been a focus area for Walmart, as the company invested over $11B in its e-commerce, supply chain and technology between FY 2020-2021 to improve its omnichannel experience for customers. Finally, customers who shop at the General Store over the next year will get a free trial for Walmart+.

Unexpected Retail Partnerships Offer an Opportunity for Differentiation

The collaboration between Walmart and Getaway may appear unexpected – many would not associate Walmart with curation, or as a leading retailer of outdoors equipment. This partnership affords both retailers a point of differentiation. For Walmart the benefit is twofold: first, the partnership serves as an  opportunity for Walmart to gain share of mind (and wallet) in the outdoors category. Second, this partnership allows Walmart to tap into new and attractive segments for the retailer – this practical, authentic retail concept deepens Walmart’s connection to rural consumers, while continuing to engage with urban and suburban customers looking to explore the outdoors. For Getaway, the General Store partnership allows the company to offer customers access to a selection of relevant products in remote locations.

These companies are not the first to engage in ‘unexpected partnerships’ – for example, Sephora and Kohl’s partnered in 2021 to place Sephora shop-in-shops in Kohl’s stores. A year later the partnership has proven successful for both parties, and they are planning to expand to all of Kohl’s 1,100 locations.

Looking to cultivate a retail partnership to differentiate your brand? Contact us to learn more about our concept development, strategic planning, and digital transformation services. Also, follow along with our blog to stay up to date industry-leading news and innovations in retail.

Reagan Jacobs

rjacobs@mdretail.com

Reagan provides research, planning and analysis support for McMillanDoolittle retail consulting projects. She supports company and client projects through consumer research planning, merchandise and operations analysis, financial modeling and graphic design work.

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