Lululemon Forms Mental Wellness Global Advisory Board
Board members will raise awareness and provide tools and resources to help guide Lululemon employees on their mental well-being journeys
Lululemon is placing the importance of mental wellness in the spotlight, having announced the formation of a mental well-being global advisory board.
The newly formed board will assist Lululemon in developing best practices and influencing mental well-being outcomes for employees and communities.
The activewear company says the findings from its 2022 Global Wellbeing Report demonstrate the need for investment in mental wellness, with only 29% of respondents revealing they have a strong sense of wellbeing across physical, mental and social areas.
Lululemon’s advisory board includes 11 leaders that represent the athletic apparel company’s key global markets in the well-being space and is chaired by Susan Gelinas, chief people and culture officer, and Nikki Neuburger, chief brand officer, two members of Lululemon’s global senior leadership team.
In an effort to destigmatize the need for well-being assistance, the board members will raise awareness and provide tools and resources to help guide employees on their mental well-being journeys.
“At Lululemon, we believe everyone has the right to be well and the path to wellbeing is only possible when the tools, support, and resources are accessible to all,” Neuburger said. “We are thrilled to continue to expand our investment and work toward improving mental well-being outcomes and to collaborate with such a talented group of experts to elevate and support individual and community wellbeing globally.”
The initial focus of the board will be on Lululemon’s annual global well-being report, employee mental wellness offerings, social impact practices and initiatives and mental well-being programming.
The board’s formation comes on the heels of a recent round of layoffs at Lululemon Studio, cuts that impacted roughly 100 employees and seemed to be largely driven due to its connected fitness mirror, which Lululemon acquired in 2020 for $500 million.
Hoping to capitalize on the at-home fitness surge during the pandemic, Lululemon soon slapped a “for sale” sticker on Mirror but has faced ongoing challenges finding a buyer for the underperforming fitness hardware, despite offering it at a deep discount. Much like Tonal has experienced, demand for at-home fitness hardware appears to have hit a lull. Financial filings reveal Lululemon currently values Mirror at just $57 million after taking out a $443 million “impairment charge” related to assets and goodwill associated with the connected fitness mirror.
As for the summertime layoffs, a Lululemon spokesperson told Athletech News that the activewear company is restructuring Lululemon Studio and fully integrating the division into the rest of the company.
“This shift, as well as our evolved strategy from a hardware-centric offering to one that is also focused on digital app-based services, enables Lululemon to better drive long-term value through our membership offerings and create deeper connections with our community of guests,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Like Peloton, the activewear company is moving beyond a hardware-centric offering in favor of a $12.99-a-month digital app allowing members to experience fitness content with a ‘wherever, whenever’ approach to workouts.
The company recently renewed its partnership with Xponential Fitness, which saw additional Xponential-branded workouts from Pure Barre, Rumble Boxing, AKT and YogaSix available on Lululemon Studio, which users can access without Mirror.
Lululemon’s next earnings report is scheduled for Sept. 7.
