Walmart seeks ‘chic’ design halo in decor deal with HGTV stars

Bloomberg

Walmart Inc is looking to boost its decor credentials with a new outdoor furniture line backed by Dave and Jenny Marrs, a builder-designer duo known for their home-remodeling shows on HGTV.
The collection includes a porch swing and dining table from the couple, who star on the show Fixer to Fabulous. Walmart plans to add indoor furniture soon, Julie Barber, a senior vice president at Walmart, said in an interview.
The partnership is part of the retailer’s push towards more “stylish and chic” merchandise, said Barber, who oversees
Walmart’s hardlines category, which ranges from hardware to paint to patio furniture. The move suggests an effort to encroach on Target Corp — famous for its “cheap chic” sensibility — while also taking on more upscale retailers such as Williams-Sonoma’s Pottery Barn.
“Walmart is really focused on building out that assortment to bring in higher quality, stylish home goods and decor,” Barber said. “Categories like sporting goods, hardware, automotive, paint and outdoor living are important to Walmart because they are part of our strategy to create a one-stop shop for our customers.”
The collection ranges from planters for as little as $12 to dining tables that are almost $1,000. The porch swing, which sells for about $900 has been a particularly requested item, Jenny Marrs said.
Jenny and her carpenter husband restore homes on TV. They live with their five children near Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
With its Dave and Jenny Marrs Collection for Better Homes & Gardens, Walmart will be taking on similar lifestyle brands such as Target’s Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. That line is backed by another celebrity couple who fix up houses, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and started almost five years ago.
Walmart’s move is the latest in a multiyear effort to spruce up its home department, which generates wider margins than its core food business — but historically saw limited demand due to a lack of new items and a perception of poor quality. In response, Walmart has dramatically increased the assortment of products it sells and created a dedicated digital landing page for upscale furniture and other decor items.
Home-renovation reality programs, once limited to the likes of PBS’s This Old House, have exploded in recent years, often featuring a husband-and-wife team who give a glimpse into their own domestic bliss while fixing up houses for others.