Tween jewelry retailer Claire’s announced it had expanded its partnership with Walmart on Tuesday, nearly doubling the number of stores its jewelry and accessories are available at across the country.
The expansion includes eight Chicago-area Walmart stores in Huntley, Lockport, Oswego, Aurora, Rolling Meadows, Montgomery, Country Club Hills and Homewood. The products will launch in two additional yet-to-be-named locations this fall. Before the expansion, Claire’s products were sold at more than 40 Walmarts in the area.
Claire’s, the Hoffman Estates-based retail chain known as a popular destination for teen ear piercings, began its partnership with Walmart in 2018. Claire’s jewelry and accessories are now available in more than 2,500 stores worldwide. USA said.
Claire’s also operates stand-alone mini stores inside Walmarts in more than 360 locations, though none are in the Chicago area. Ear piercings are available in-store within company stores. The company has partnerships with more than 30 other retailers, including CVS and Albertsons, but Walmart is its only store-in-store partner.
“With these new locations, we are excited to build on the success we have seen with our partnership and our own expanding consumer products business to reach more customers where they live and shop,” Claire CEO Ryan Vero said in a statement. a statement.
“Walmart continues to establish itself as a fashion destination with a focus on expanding our assortment of quality, fashionable and affordable apparel and accessories,” Walmart Vice President of Jewelry and Accessories Michelle Gill said in a statement.
Claire struggled in the mid-2010s, closing of stores in malls and eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. The company has since turned its finances around, filing for a $100 million initial public offering in September 2021. The company went public with its private equity backer at the time. , Apollo Global Management, took it private in 2007. As of April 2022, the company operated more than 1,500 independent stores in North America.
In February, the company reported net sales of nearly $1.4 billion in 2021, a 53% growth from 2020 and a 9% growth from 2019. Sales at its retail partners were 70% higher than in 2020 .