Middle American fans of DSW will soon be able to pick up a new pair of shoes on their supermarket run.
On Wednesday, DSW parent Designer Brands Inc. announced a partnership bringing branded shop-in-shops to locations operated by Iowa-based Hy-Vee, the supermarket chain operating more than 265 retail stores in eight midwestern states.
With Hy-Vee revenue exceeding $10 billion annually, both parties see the partnership as an opportunity to improve the customer experience and deliver greater convenience to the footwear buying experience.
“Quality footwear and accessories will always serve as a top need for the American consumer, which is why we’ve made these solutions available to our shoppers,” Hy-Vee chairman, CEO and president Randy Edeker said. “Hy-Vee’s goal is to provide its customers with the very best in all lifestyle categories in a convenient and easy-to-shop format, and we’re proud to partner with a company that shares the same vision.”
Given the current limitations around retail as well as “current public health concerns,” the pair will initially launch their tie-up online, bringing the DSW experience to Hy-Vee.com. And DSW will first launch a pilot program of top-selling footwear displayed in a pallet format at 120 Hy-Vee stores before rolling out proper shop-in-shops and developing a buy-online, pick-up in-store (BOPIS) service to drum up footfall.
“We are excited to be growing in new categories and delivering DSW’s mission of inspiring self-expression to Hy-Vee customers,” Designer Brands CEO Roger Rawlins said. “Our commercial team has positioned itself as the plug-and-play solution to grow in the footwear category.”