Bloomingdale’s becomes first department store to….
A new player is jumping into the subscription apparel rental market.
Upscale department store retailer Bloomingdale’s, a division of Macy’s Inc., will enter the fray in mid-September with the launch of “My List at Bloomingdale’s,” reported Women’s Wear Daily. The service will kick-off in mid-September with an assortment that includes hundreds of women’s apparel items — from dresses and denim to sweaters and outerwear — from more than 60 brands, with more than 100 exclusive pieces.
According to WWD, subscribers will be charged $149 a month. They will create a list of at least 10 pieces they want to rent, from the program’s dedicated site, with the ability to prioritize favorites. A box containing four items from the list will be delivered within two to three business days. Once the pieces are returned, a new selection of four items is sent out immediately. Subscribers can return and receive batches of clothes as frequently as they want, but all four items from a box must be returned to receive the next box.
Bloomingdale’s entry into clothing rental comes as other retailers, from American Eagle to Express, are testing variations of a model made popular by Rent the Runway, which remains a leader in the category, with five dedicated stores and collaborations with diverse set of partners including West Elm, Nordstrom and WeWork. In July, Urban Outfitters went live with its Nuuly apparel rental subscription service, which lets subscribers choose from the retailer’s namesake, Free People and Anthropologie brands, along with third-party labels and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.
The online clothing rental market size is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2023, according to Allied Market Research. To date, Bloomingdale’s is the only department store retailer to launch a full-fledged program. The company partnering with CaaStle, which is powering the back-end of the service, including fulfillment and the cleaning of clothes, reported WWD. For the full WWD story, click here.