Retailers of every size and sort have been adding in, updating, and enlarging their beauty offerings lately. And, the Rhode Island-headquartered pharmacy chain CVS is no exception.
Commenting on the company’s new Times Square store, Judy Sansone, senior vice president, front store business and chief merchant for CVS, tells the press, “We're excited to bring our enhanced customer experience to Times Square, one of the world's most vibrant and visited neighborhoods.”
“This store features the newest experiences CVS Pharmacy has to offer in health, wellness and beauty,” adds Sansone.
K-beauty
In early April, CVS announced its K-Beauty HQ initiative. To bring that project to fruition, the retailer teamed up with Alicia Yoo, founder of Peach & Lily. “I'm thrilled to be involved in this launch as CVS Pharmacy is creating one of the largest K-Beauty programs in the world. While Korean beauty has been steadily growing in popularity, there are still so many people who cannot easily access Korean beauty products so this launch will really bring the products to everyone,” Yoon pointed out. K-Beauty HQ is in some 2,100 CVS doors around the US.
Now, the Times Square CVS will be one of only two stores with a K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop feature. (The other will be at the Columbus Circle location in Manhattan.)
“The new K-Beauty Shop-in-Shop will feature nearly 500 innovative and eye-catching Korean beauty products across healthy skincare and playful beauty including cosmetics, masks and hand, body and lip care,” according to a CVS press release about the new store.
Personal care
The two-level store is sectioned into Discovery Zones, or specialized departments. The design is meant to enable “customers to shop an assortment of new products across several themes,” including Advanced Skin Care and Sleep and Mood, according to the CVS release.
The personal care and cosmetics CVS is promising are right in line with current trends. There’s a focus on products that benefit skin health, on natural ingredients, on protection products, and on made-without products. CVS announced plans to phase out chemicals of concern in its store brand beauty and personal care products earlier this year, as Cosmetics Design reported.
The company’s self-imposed deadline for the phase out is 2019. Explaining the decision, Cia Tucci, vice president of store brands and quality assurance at CVS Health told the press in April, “We are committed to providing our customers with the safe, efficacious products that they are looking for. We listened when customers voiced their desire for products that still provide the benefits they need with fewer ingredients of concern.”
As skin protection becomes more of a consumer priority, the company has adjusted its sun care offerings: “CVS Pharmacy recently removed all sun care products with SPF lower than 15 from its shelves while expanding products with SPF 30/broad spectrum, natural beauty brands and products focused on skin health,” explains the release.
The new Times Square CVS will also feature an assortment of beauty-to-go products and a spot where shoppers can find new launches and niche beauty items too.