The act of simply shopping no longer cuts it for many consumers, so Westfield Corp. is adding fitness training centers, gyms, spas, yoga and spin studios and health clinics to it shopping centers. Westfield is also making beauty, health and wellness amenities available.
“You might think this is an unusual array of tenants, but fits perfectly,” said Heather Vandenberghe, Westfield’s chief marketing officer. “It’s not only about inner beauty, it’s outer beauty and health.”
Westfield in partnership with Beautycon Media, introduced Beauty & Balance, a platform featuring wake-up workouts, nutrition and dance classes, how-to workshops for hair and eyebrows, and more, at six properties through April 2. There will also be furry chairs for listening to meditation tapes or donning VR goggles.
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“When we look at building new Westfield properties and energizing existing centers, we want to offer what people are craving,” said Vandenberghe. “We’ve been watching how the trend in ath-leisure is playing a big role in the retail space with Forever 21 and Nordstrom pushing their sport lines. We launched this program to connect the dots.”
Barry’s Boot Camp, Orange Theory and Equinox are opening units in Westfield centers, with the latter unveiling “a massive club at Westfield Century City in April,” said Vandenberghe. “We’re not playing with little players, but solid brands that have a really solid following.”
Vandenberghe said the response was positive to the first Beauty & Balance event on Feb. 25 at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills, Calif. “We had yoga classes throughout the day,” she added. “The beauty chairs were full. The retailers were happy to get in front of such an engaged audience. We focused on inner and outer beauty and asked about the customer’s lifestyle and interests. There was no hard sell.”
Beautycon Media, which has its pulse on Gen Z and Millennials, is providing the digital element, and its influencers are holding speaker sessions at each center.
“Our audience loves to buy things, read content and experience new products,” said Moj Mahdara, ceo and founder of Beautycon Media. “We’re most excited about the reinvention of retail as a high-touch experience. If you look at the phenomenon of social events, WeWork and communal tables, people want to commune, but in different places than before.”