Bluemercury Kicks Off Discovery Platform
Bluemercury is betting big on smaller, directional beauty brands.
The Macy’s Inc.-owned retailer is debuting The Cache, a discovery space for on-trend beauty brands, which will rotate every three months. Ziip Beauty, U Beauty, Ourself, Irene Forte and Plantkos are christening the platform in October, though it will eventually expand to other key categories like makeup, hair care and fragrance.
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The Cache’s purpose is to demystify new trends and technologies for consumers, in addition to surfacing newer brands. Tracy Kline, Bluemercury’s head of merchandising, spa and supply chain, said, “We’re true beauty junkies, and beauty continues to evolve, but it also causes intimidation for clients. There’s a lot of new brands and a lot of new technology. We really wanted to focus the clients on these brands you can’t live without.
“All our brands are thoroughly vetted, but the brands that launch in this platform are wildly on-trend or ahead of trends. It gives these brands the opportunity for exposure on a national scale, and it gives our clients access to these highly coveted cult brands,” she continued. “The Cache, by definition, is a collection of similar-typed items that are hidden or made inaccessible. It’s like your secret wine cabinet that’s stashed away. Who isn’t intrigued by that?”
Depending on the size of each brand’s assortment, some brands may go into The Cache in full; for others, hero products are cherrypicked. “It’s really a case-by-case basis, we’re showcasing the best of the best,” Kline added, noting the possibility of adding brands from the Cache to Bluemercury’s shelves on a more permanent basis.
The lineup will eventually span key categories, but Kline said it was imperative to start with skin care. “That’s the category where we are really the industry leader. We have this unparalleled skin care assortment, but skin care is really noisy right now,” she said. “We wanted to create a platform that really amplified and raised awareness to new and undiscovered brands that have incredibly high performance, but are not widely distributed.”
The Cache will start in roughly 20 doors, as well as on Bluemercury’s website, where each brand will be available in an expanded expression.
Overall, Bluemercury’s business has proven buoyant. Kline said skin care, hair care and fragrance are all up double-digits from pre-pandemic levels, with makeup still gaining steam.
“Fragrance is the one to watch — the strongest increase since 2019, and it’s driven by personal fragrance,” Kline told WWD. “We’re excited by the strength of that, especially heading into the holiday season.”
