Walmart is expanding its fashion portfolio by reviving Scoop, a luxury fashion brand that closed its doors in 2016, as a private label brand. The revamped Scoop will launch with a collection of more than 100 products ranging from graphic tees to faux-fur coats. The items are currently available online, and will start arriving at physical locations in early 2020.
Scoop originally opened its doors as an independent retailer in 1996, and at its peak in the early 2000s the retailer boasted celebrities as regular customers at its 15 New York City locations, according to The New York Times. However, the brand was hit first by the departure of founder Stefani Greenfield in 2008 and later by the rise of e-Commerce, competing luxury fashion brands like Rag & Bone and Olivia and rapidly escalating rents.
“It’s hard to believe that we achieved margins in excess of 46%, and $1,200 per square foot, and we find ourselves in this position,” said Susan Davidson, CEO of Scoop in a 2016 interview with The New York Times. “There is a mismatch in commercial rent and what retailers can afford to pay. In some cases, our rents double and tripled with inherited leases with extraordinary rent escalators.”
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Greenfield has returned to develop the revived version of Scoop alongside Denise Incandela, Head of Fashion for Walmart U.S. e-Commerce. The brand will retain its goal of helping shoppers build “The Ultimate Closet,” but with a more price-conscious approach: the first set of items all cost between $15 and $65.
However, the brand won’t eliminate the high-end trappings that defined Scoop’s earlier incarnation. Products will include materials such certified vegan leather, fully lined outwear and unique denim washes to offer customers an on-trend look at a lower price.
Scoop will join more than 600 fashion brands available at Walmart, including 150 premium options. The retailer also has expanded in the fashion space through the acquisition of other companies, such as plus-size retailer Eloquii as well as Bonobos, ModCloth, Moosejaw and ShoeBuy (which has been rebranded to Shoes.com).
