Wayfair is piloting a smaller-format store for its namesake banner.
The 70,000-square-foot store is set to open in Columbus, Ohio, late next year, the company announced Thursday. The Columbus location is roughly half the size of the retailer’s other Wayfair stores.
“As we scale our retail strategy, we are focused on both expansion and experimentation,” Liza Lefkowski, vice president of merchandising and stores at Wayfair, said in a statement. “Not only are we thrilled to open our first Ohio store, we are excited to see how customers respond to our efforts to provide a comprehensive home shopping experience in a smaller footprint.”
The Columbus store will feature a wide assortment of products across several departments, including furniture, housewares, appliances, mattresses and decor. The location will also include Wayfair Verified items that are evaluated and selected by the company’s product specialists.
The store will serve as a test to see “how a smaller footprint can drive customer engagement and efficiency while maintaining inspiration and convenience,” the company said.
Wayfair has been steadily building out its brick-and-mortar footprint after moving away from the format years ago. Last year, the company opened its first large-format store under its namesake banner just outside of Chicago. Additional locations have been announced since for Atlanta, Denver and Yonkers, New York.
The move is part of a broader store expansion effort the company has initiated across its entire portfolio, including Joss & Main, AllModern and Perigold.
“Physical retail is the natural progression of our brand as we evolve to meet our customers wherever they are on their shopping journey — from site or app to in-store through a seamless omnichannel experience,” the company said last year ahead of its Chicago-area store opening.
But the company’s physical expansion comes as the home category experiences softer demand after pandemic highs, and the broader retail industry faces macroeconomic headwinds, namely from evolving tariff policies.
Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah, however, said the retailer hasn’t seen any changes in consumer behavior due to tariffs despite several policies targeting the home sector.
In its most recent quarter, the online home goods retailer reported Q3 revenue grew 8.1% year over year to $3.1 billion, while U.S. revenue grew 8.6%. But Wayfair’s net loss widened during the period to $99 million from $74 million last year.
Published by Dralys Blog – Stories | Insights | Innovation
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