Equinox Places Hope in E-commerce with The Shop
In an effort to diversify revenue, Equinox opened The Shop, a curated online platform of high-end workout clothing, accessories, electronics, nutritional protein, beauty, and health products.
Equinox, the much-suffering luxury fitness brand, is hoping to get a piece of the e-commerce market, as Americans increasingly shop online and gear up for the holiday season.
This month, Equinox opened The Shop, a curated online platform of high-end workout clothing, accessories, electronics, nutritional protein and beauty and health products. They are culled from 80-plus tony designers and manufacturers. Shoppers can also buy Equinox-branded shirts and hats and even face masks.
Expect to splurge; The Shop is not for fitness buffs on a budget. Sports bras and crop tops range between $40 and almost $100. Women’s bottoms, like leggings and sweatpants go for $80 to $200. Men’s tops range from $40 to $200 and pants sell for between $80 and $200.
Among the plush offerings are a $295 water-resistant Duffel bag with laptop and shoe compartments, a $398 cordless, Bluetooth-activated percussion and vibration massage device; a $249 set of earphones made of anodized aluminum with muffs of lambskin leather; a $165 container of moisturizing formula (50 milliliters); and a $79 bottle of glycolic acid overnight facial cream (also 50 milliliters).
The launch of Equinox’s The Shop occurs in a brutal climate for fitness spaces, as covid-19 has diminished attendance at in-person clubs and brands try to find footing online (a set of circumstances that has pulled venerable brands Gold’s Gym and New York Sports Club into bankruptcy proceedings.)
Equinox has been particularly hammered because about a third of its clubs are in New York City, the original coronavirus epicenter; the company has $1.02 billion in debt that its creditors are organizing to chase and its media-playing stationary bike, branded by Equinox’s popular subsidy SoulCycle, was delayed for about a year between announcement and shipping to customers, allowing Peloton to take over the now-lucrative bike-at-home market.
Equinox gyms had boutique shops but floor space was limited, so they didn’t stock many brands (particularly new ones), the company’s vice president of retail Annie Walters told Glossy. The online shop allows for a more expansive selection. Although SoulCycle had invested heavily in branded clothing and equipment, ecommerce had never played much of a role at Equinox before, she said.
Now fitness brands are experimenting with other niches and offerings and if anyone is looking for a $238 jump rope bundle, Equinox has them covered.
