Wayfair To Open First Brick-and-Mortar Store

Amid a move into brick-and-mortar retail, home furnishings company Wayfair intends to open a physical store at Massachusetts’s Natick Mall. The location is said to open its doors at the beginning of fall, Chain Store Age reported.

Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah said, according to the announcement, “With the opening of our new retail store, we are offering our customers a new way to enjoy Wayfair’s exceptional shopping experience as we continue to transform the way people shop for their homes. We look forward to inviting our customers further into the world of Wayfair, welcoming them to step inside our newest shopping experience guided by the knowledgeable support and expertise of our in-store design team.”

At the store, shoppers will be able to purchase a selection of items, and can also have orders made for home delivery. Home design experts will be on hand to provide consumers with design consultations. Beyond the mall store, the company reportedly plans to open four pop-up shops during the summer.

The news comes as Wayfair was planning to open two pop-up shops last year to create an interactive brand experience. One of the stores was to be located at New Jersey’s Westfield Garden State Plaza and the other would be at Massachusetts’s Natick Mall, per an announcement from the company last October.

Wayfair Chief Product and Marketing Officer Ed Macri said at the time, “We are bringing the Wayfair brand directly to shoppers in a completely new format this holiday season. Building on the success of our television advertising and direct mail, this pop-up experience is yet another way we are deepening engagement with customers beyond our online presence.”

Wayfair also was to open the doors to an outlet store in Kentucky, per reports in February. The brick-and-mortar location was to be in the footprint of a warehouse that processes returned goods.