Nordstrom Plans To Bring 40 Mini Tonal Shops To Its Stores

Nordstrom will be bringing 40 mini Tonal shops to its retail locations as part of the retailer’s active department adjacent to fitness clothing and other accessories. Shoppers will have the option to chat with a Tonal staffer and try out the Tonal fitness technology, CNBC reported.

“There’s a segment of our customer base that wants to touch and feel and experience digital weights,” Tonal Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Stadler said, per CNBC. “We want to create more points of distribution and physical touch points.”

Tonal is part of the highly competitive at-home fitness market that encompasses other device companies such as Mirror, Hydrow and Peloton.

Nordstrom currently intends to open mini Tonal shops at The Shops at Merrick Park in Florida, The SoNo Collection in Connecticut, Fashion Island in California and Scottsdale Fashion Square in Arizona, among other locations.

The department store retailer indicated in the past that it intends to bolster the amount of space focused on active clothing and wellness items. A merchandise manager for its active category, Lori Marten, told CNBC, “We continue to prioritize being that place of discovery.”

Nordstrom is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings following the market close on Tuesday (March 2).

Before its Feb. 4 meeting with analysts and investors, Nordstrom had said that it expected a 25 percent increase in sales this year as it focuses on smaller-format locations as part of its “Closer to You” growth agenda.

“We have a unique business model with two powerful brands, highly integrated digital and physical assets, incredible brand partners and employees who are truly unmatched when it comes to their commitment to the customer,” Nordstrom Chief Executive Officer Erik Nordstrom said in a press release at the time.

The Washington state-based upscale retailer’s new “Closer to You” long-term growth plan encompasses growing the firm’s off-price Nordstrom Rack chain and furthering online sales.