Babies R Us opening shops inside about 200 Kohl's stores across the country
Parents will soon have another place to shop for baby necessities – inside Kohl's stores.
The retailer announced Tuesday a partnership with WHP Global, the parent company of Babies R Us, to bring "baby gear, furniture, activity and more" to more than 200 Kohl's locations by fall 2024.
According to a news release from Kohl's, customers will also be able to shop for baby products on Kohls.com and use the Babies R Us at Kohl's registry to build and share gift lists.
Kohl's says the new Babies R Us experience will "introduce more new customers to Kohl's, including younger customers who will be choosing Kohl's for the first time."
“Evolving our assortment and bringing more relevant product to the millions of customers we serve is a core focus as we continue to deliver on Kohl’s broader growth strategy,” said Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s chief executive officer, in the news release.
Babies R Us began closing stores in 2018 after its parent company at the time, Toys R Us, filed for bankruptcy. WHP Global acquired both Babies R Us and Toys R Us in 2021.
Babies R Us dedicated space within Kohl's stores
The Babies R Us shops inside Kohl's will range from 750 to 2,500 square feet of dedicated space, according to the announcement, and will include baby gear, activity, bath, furniture, feeding and safety products.
Kohl's said in the news release the space will "complement Kohl's existing assortment of baby apparel" and will be adjacent to the new offerings, creating a "comprehensive baby shop for customers."
Kohl's has similar deal with Sephora
This isn't' the first time Kohl's partnered with a brand for a store within a store.
Kohl's and beauty retailer Sephora announced a partnership in December 2020 to create a new beauty destination inside Kohl's stores.
Instead of being a traditional department store beauty counter like you’d see at Nordstrom or Macy’s, Sephora shops occupy about 2,500 square feet near the stores' entrances.
The companies unveiled the list of the first 200 locations in Feb. 2021 and began selling Sephora's products online in the fall of 2021. An additional 400 beauty shops across 36 states opened in 2022.
According to a news release from Aug. 2022, Kohl's has plans to open Sephora beauty shops at all of over 1,100 locations.
WHP Global has similar deal with Toys R Us, Macy's
In 2021, Macy's and Toys R Us announced plans to open up toy shops in 400 Macy's department stores nationwide starting in 2022.
In July 2022, Macy's announced plans to expand the inclusion of Toys R Us branded toy shops to all of its department stores nationwide by the holidays.
The Toys R Us shops include demonstration tables where shoppers can try out different toys, and a life-size "Geoffrey on a bench" where kids and adults can pose for photos with the toy brand's giraffe mascot.
"The customer response to our partnership with Toys "R" Us has been incredible and our toy business has seen tremendous growth," said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, in a statement at the time.
Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY