The $1.8 trillion global wellness market, coupled with advancements in biometric tracking and health technology, has investors banking on the future of wellness.

Renowned cyclist and endurance athlete Lance Armstrong’s Next Ventures is the latest VC fund to get in on the wellness craze, targeting $100 million — its first fund in almost five years — to invest in whole-person health, preventive care and diagnostics.

Next Ventures managing partner Julian Eison, was forthright:

“We said, hey, this whole consumerization of health is omnipresent,” Eison told PitchBook, which reported on Next Ventures’ plans to write pre-seed, seed and Series A checks with an average check size of $2 million. 

It’s a viewpoint shared by other leading investors and experts.

As Jon Canarick of North Castle Partners, Mark Grabowski of Snapdragon Capital Partners and Lance Dietz of KB Partners shared during Athletech News’ DISRUPT 2023 video series, there is an overall sense of optimism surrounding the health, fitness and wellness markets. 

“I think almost universally there’s growth in consumer expenditure in health and wellness across multiple categories,” Grabowski said, noting that the industry as a whole is on an “upward trajectory.” 

Wearables Track More Than Just Fitness

He also indicated that health and fitness trackers have even more runway, especially with consumers embracing preventive wellness practices. Advancing technology also means that wearables no longer cater to elite athletes or weekend warriors. Instead, consumers of all ages and in any health condition can track their health metrics, widening the available consumer market.

“When you think of everything from blood testing to stool samples, there you’re actually addressing some different issues,” Grabowski pointed out. “It’s not about, ‘Am I optimizing my workout performance?’ It’s about allergies, chronic issues, immune responses and other things that people are dealing with.” 

Investors are taking note, with Ultrahuman’s multi-device ecosystem the latest funding recipient. The company just secured $35 million in a Series B to advance its health monitoring endeavors, which include a smart ring, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a ‘Blood Vision’ system and an upcoming home health device that assesses environmental impacts on well-being. 

Next Ventures’ portfolio touts some notable health and wellness names, including smart ring brand Oura, AI wearable company Humane and Genopets, a move-to-earn game. The VC fund also invested in Utah-based Amp Human in 2019, maker of PR Lotion, which merged with Momentous, a ‘human performance” supplement brand.

As for Oura, the smart ring maker is expected to enter a “health-focused” chapter, having recently welcomed an executive from the Apple Health team and signing a deal to make its wearable device FSA/HSA eligible. 

Wellness CPGs Gain Steam, Too

Tech may always be a hot area for its jaw-dropping capabilities that seem to advance each week, but good old consumer packaged goods have been receiving the attention of investors, too — especially those in the wellness categories. 

Even major retailers like Target are banking on the wellness wave, introducing over 1,000 health-supporting products across all verticals. For good reason, too: consumers have not only become more health-conscious, but GLP-1 users have redirected their spending away from unhealthy items and toward wellness purchases.

Bloom Nutrition, a supplement brand in the greens and superfoods category recently scored a major investment from C4 maker Nutrabolt. 

Health and wellness guru/A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow, no stranger to all things green juice and longevity-supporting, is also eyeing the power of products with wide appeal. The goop founder has turned feeling good into a profitable brand, catering to the masses with a new line of budget-friendly wellness and beauty products, a departure from goop’s higher-priced items. 

Paltrow’s Los Angeles-based VC firm, Kinship Ventures, has reportedly sought to raise $75 million for its debut fund, eyeing early-stage consumer goods and tech companies.

Over on the East Coast, Humble Growth, a N.Y.-based growth equity firm launched by an all-star team that includes RxBar founder Peter Rahal, secured over $312 million for its debut. Earlier this year, Humble Growth acquired a significant minority stake in Momentous in a deal worth $32 million.

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Target is leveling up its product offerings, making wellness its bullseye in 2024.

The Minneapolis-based retailer is introducing over 1,000 new budget-friendly wellness products across apparel, accessories, skincare, supplements, functional beverages, vitamins and tech categories.

For experienced Target shoppers — such as those who will find any excuse to carve out time for a “Target run” — the news likely isn’t all that surprising, considering the retailer has been pushing clean, sustainable and health and wellness products front and center within its aisles, seemingly ramping it up in the last year or so. 

“Wellness has been redefined to encompass a more holistic way of living — and it’s also different for every person,” said Rick Gomez, Target executive vice president and chief food, essentials and beauty officer. “That’s why Target is delivering like no other retailer, offering guests the ultimate destination to support their wellness journey, whether that’s enjoying a non-alcoholic beverage from Sèchey or stocking up on Bloom to get their daily greens.”

Target confirms that hundreds of its new wellness products are exclusive to the retailer, such as non-alcoholic beverages from Ghia and Sechey, fitness equipment and accessories from Blogilates and activewear from All in Motion.

Notably (and in keeping with the latest consumer craze), Target plans to coordinate some styles of its All in Motion activewear with an exclusive assortment of Stanley Tumblers. 

Celeb-founded wellness brands such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s good.clean.goop, Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s vitamin and supplement line Lemme, and beauty and personal care items from Ashley Tisdale’s Being Frenshe can also be found at the popular retailer. 

Supplements and hydration are also having their moment at Target, such as Bloom, Hum, Liquid IV, O Positiv and Podium.

Newer Wellness Brands Land in Target

Over the last four years, Target has ramped up its health-and-wellness vibe within its stores and online presence. 

At the beginning of 2020, the retailer launched All in Motion, its activewear and fitness accessories line. The timing of the nationwide launch couldn’t have been more perfect for Target, as the release coincided with COVID, which led many consumers to seek comfortable activewear for working out (and working from) home. In just one year, Target’s All in Motion collection pulled in an impressive $1 billion in sales.

Gainful, a personalized nutrition and supplement brand, found a spot on Target’s coveted shelves last year after agreeing to an exclusive partnership with the retailer. This past fall, celeb-favorite fitness accessories brand Bala also forged a retail partnership with Target, bringing its fresh and fashionable take on wearable weights with Bala Bangles to a broader consumer base.

Bloom Nutrition, a greens and superfood supplement brand that just secured a sizable investment from the owner of C4 Energy, has also scored a deal with Target. Founded by fitness and wellness influencer Mari Llewellyn, Bloom is the first supplement line to be displayed in Target’s prime retail real estate space: the checkout lane.

Ozempic, Wegovy’s Impact on Consumer Purchases

As Target has laid the groundwork to be a one-stop-shop for all things health and wellness, the retailer is responding to the influx of consumers who have become increasingly health-focused and interested in self-care practices and products. 

“Our guests are paying close attention to what they put in and on their bodies, from bath and skin care to vitamins and supplements,” noted Cassandra Jones, Target’s senior vice president of merch essentials and beauty, last year. 

The rise of GLP-1 use has also changed the purchasing habits of many consumers, who may have swapped out potato chips for protein powder in their shopping carts. While weight loss medications may be dampening the food and beverage industry, it’s increasing spending room for consumers to invest in wellness and other health-supporting products. 

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Dean Kelly knows a thing or two about building successful consumer brands in the digital era.

After creating a pair of app businesses and holding senior roles in Walmart’s e-commerce division and at online wedding registry Zola, Kelly took over as CEO of Gainful in February 2020, tasked with taking the personalized performance nutrition company to the next level.

Kelly quickly built on the impressive work done by founders Eric Ji Sun Wu and Jahaan Ansari, who created Gainful as a personalized protein company that allows users to take a quiz and receive a protein powder blend that’s customized to their needs, goals and preferences.

Under Kelly’s watch, Gainful raised $7.5 million in a Series A round in January 2021 and has expanded beyond protein into categories including pre-workout, creatine, fiber, collagen and hydration, all while staying true to the brand’s ethos of personalized nutrition. Gainful reached profitability in early 2023 and has seen over one million orders and counting placed on its website.

Kelly spoke with Athletech News about the power of personalized nutrition, Gainful’s groundbreaking retail partnership with Target, and what’s next for the brand in terms of new features, products and funding.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Athletech News: You came into this role with high-level experience as a founder and executive at top consumer brands. Why did you decide to join Gainful?

Dean Kelly: I’d been at a lot of big consumer companies, with big brands in really emotional categories, whether it be pets, weddings, furniture and homewares, or travel, and personalization has been a theme across my entire career. When Gainful approached me, I saw a really great opportunity to join a very young company with two incredible founders as the CEO in a category, health and wellness, where more and more people are spending more time and money. Personalization was being used as a vehicle in so many other categories, but it hadn’t really been done in this category, performance nutrition. I’ve stood in front of a wall of supplements in a GNC and been so confused, not knowing what the ingredients meant. So I had the same experience that our founders had.

ATN: Besides offering quizzes, how does Gainful make nutrition “personalized”?

DK: I view personalization as the feeling that a customer gets at the end of their experience with Gainful that makes them feel as if “Gainful is for me.” And it’s not only because of the products we’re recommending; the way that we talk to you is unique to you. We also bring in expert guidance from real RDs (registered dietitians) to help our customers with nutrition. It’s completely personalized, so it’s a real person responding to real people with real questions. Customers who use our RDSs retain 20 percentage points higher than customers who don’t. At the moment it’s email-based, but we’re moving into making it chat-based and text-based.

We’ve also started to work with content providers who are experts in their field, whether it be personal personal trainers, registered dieticians, etc. So the education and the content that we send you post-quiz is tailored to you. If you’re looking to build muscle versus lose weight, the education and content you get will be very different.

ATN: How does Gainful decide which supplements to sell?

DK: Gainful as a brand is about the individual, and removing barriers to that individual feeling their best, whatever those barriers are. There are brands out there that are quite niche. A vegan company can’t necessarily launch a Keto product, for example. The incredible thing about the Gainful brand is that we can go into any product in any multi-billion dollar category.

We started with protein because it’s an incredible base, most people don’t know how much they need and most people aren’t getting enough of it. But as you can see, we’ve started to add products and categories very selectively. Pre-workout, for example, there’s a huge crossover between a protein and a pre-workout customer. We then launched Boosts – collagen, fiber, creatine – that can be added to any of our products. And then we launched hydration as well.

If you can imagine where we’ll go next, Gainful is all about customization. You have a base protein, and then you can start to add Boosts, which might be gut health, menopause, prenatal, postnatal, cognitive, sleep, heart health or joint health. These are all categories we can go into under the umbrella of customization. We’ll be launching a brand new category in Q1 of next year.

ATN: Why did Gainful decide to partner with Target and enter the retail space?

DK: Target has over 1,800 stores nationwide, and 85% of the U.S. population shops in Target, so we saw it as a huge opportunity to attract a new customer and give that new customer a better experience, a more seamless and personalized experience, in an aisle that’s been pretty intimidating in the past.

ATN: How does Gainful bring a personalized experience to brick-and-mortar retail?

DK: Online, we taught customers how to shop a system for themselves. And we brought that behavior into the four walls of Target. When we launched at Target, we didn’t launch with just two products. We launched with 11 products and a very simple three-step process where customers can choose their base protein, they can choose a flavor, and then they can add a Goal Boost – build muscle, lose weight or recover. And you can combine those Goal Boosts and your flavor into the base protein, which is your customized protein. Also, on the lid of each of the protein packs (bought in Target) is a QR code that drives you to our registered dietitians. So we really are bringing personalized nutrition to everyone across the U.S.

ATN: Gainful is the official U.S. supplement and performance nutrition partner of Hyrox for the ‘23-24 race season. Why is this partnership important?

DK: One thing I love about Hyrox is that the races span ages, genders and athletic abilities. This is what Gainful recognizes, everyone is different, and therefore, everyone needs a personal approach not only to their training but to their nutrition. Also, Hyrox is incredibly big in Europe, and it’s coming to the U.S., so we thought it was incredible timing with an incredible partner who is trying to do something innovative. The third reason is because it’s becoming harder to acquire customers online and through Facebook and Instagram. For us, it’s less about putting a click-bait ad in front of a person. It’s about, Where are our customers when they’re not on Facebook and Instagram? They’re competing in Hyrox.

ATN: You’ve gone on record saying that Gainful is planning to raise another $20 to $30 million. Why is that investment important and what are your expansion plans?

DK: We’ve always been very capital efficient and very prioritized in what we do. We’ve never been one of those companies that’s over-raised, over-hired and then fired a lot of people. But now we’re at this point where we can expand our product range into new categories. We want to double down on retail – we’re further expanding in Target, and we have other retailers who approach us all the time. I get approached weekly by various people internationally about wanting to sell Gainful. We see a brand that could and should be global.

We want to build out our platform. We currently get a lot of our data from a quiz and we want to move that to make it more real-time. That involves building out an app, getting real-time data and connecting with different connected fitness partners. We also want to build brand awareness. We’re in the multiple tens of millions in revenue, and it’s now time to start telling the stories of Gainful, and that involves larger marketing budgets and top-of-funnel brand advertising, stuff that we’ve never done before.

These are all the things we want to do, and we want to find the right strategic partner who has seen numerous companies throughout this stage of growth and future stages.

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Over the last five years of health and wellness, Bala has been making a splash. Founded in 2018 by Natalie Holloway and Max Kislevitz, the fitness accessories brand has secured investments from Shark Tank investors Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova and garnered the support of A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez and Reese Witherspoon.

Now, Bala is embarking on its biggest retail launch to date with the retail giant Target. Starting in September, Target locations have begun to carry Bala’s workout accessories. 

“Target was always the North Star and a dream retail partner for us, and we are so excited that we are now available in 1,382 stores and at Target.com,” Holloway told Athletech News. “Target has such a loyal and large audience, so bringing Bala into more consumers’ lives across the country is what excites us.”

Bala’s mission has always been to enhance the fitness experience through innovative products that blend seamlessly with one’s lifestyle. Their signature offering, the Bala Bangles, are wearable weights that add extra resistance to activities but also come in a range of colors. The Bangles add some weight to workouts like yoga, aerobics, walking, core training, and Pilates. The product is made of steel wrapped in soft silicone, with elastic hoop and loop fasteners for a customized fit. 

During the pandemic, Bala’s growth exploded. In 2019, the brand hit $2 million in sales, after being picked up by stores and websites like Free People, goop, and Bandier. By the end of 2020, Bala reached $20 million in revenue. Target is the latest of Bala’s retail partnerships, but the store represents a different audience than many of its existing channels. Bala has traditionally been associated with higher-income fitness-focused individuals, but Target has the potential to broaden this reach to different demographics. 

The brand is hoping that through its partnership with Target, more people will have access to its fitness products to enhance and elevate their workouts.

“Our business model is approximately one-third DTC, one-third wholesale/retail and one-third Amazon,” Holloway shares. “Now with a partner like Target, next year could look completely different, which is exciting.”

At Target, Bala products will come in a range of colors, like the new ‘Ocean’ shade, as well as classic color options like Charcoal and Blush. Bala Bangles will be available in both 1 lb and 2 lb options, and can be strapped to wrists or ankles. In addition, Bala Bars and Bala Bands will be available. 

Update: This article was updated with quotes from Natalie Holloway

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Gainful, a customizable performance nutrition brand, is now available at Target. The direct-to-consumer wellness company made the announcement on its social media pages.

“Gainful is live at Target! How does a brand committed to personalization, scale to brick-and-mortar retail? By creating a first-of-its-kind customizable protein product,” the nutrition brand shared on LinkedIn.

Before the announcement was made regarding Target, the brand teased that it would be building upon its personalized direct-to-consumer success and would move into the retail space.

“Since our beginnings, we’ve aimed to make it easier to find high-quality, clean supplements tailored to your needs. Until now, we delivered that through 1-1 personalization via Gainful.com. Starting today we’re expanding our impact, inviting Target guests to build their own custom protein blend.”

Gainful says it’s now giving guests the opportunity to take home a customized protein blend that meets their needs. The brand added that shoppers will gain access to a Target guest experience on Gainful.com with “curated nutritional guidance and tools, clean recipes formulated by nutrition and fitness experts for maximum effectiveness, and a direct line to a team of Registered Dietitians.”

The brand posted a clip of Gainful founders Eric Ji Sun Wu and Jahaan Ansari seeing their nutrition brand on the shelves at Target for the first time. The two launched the wellness company in 2017.

While landing in Target was a dream come true for the founders, the company said it was important for the Gainful brand to stay true to its roots by delivering personalized performance nutrition even in a brick-and-mortar retail location. 

Gainful says it created a system that allows Target guests to customize a protein blend through a 3-step process out of 11 SKUs (two protein bases, three goal boosts, and four flavors), resulting in over 70 potential protein blends.

The protein bases are either plant-based protein or whey, and the four flavors to choose from are rich chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, strawberry cream, and cinnamon toast. Goal boosts include muscle, lean, or recovery options.

Target stores, a fan favorite among the gen Z and millennial groups, are looking to attract young wellness enthusiasts with such health-focused offerings. Gainful is priced appropriately for younger consumers, ranging from $3.99 to $19.99 for its protein bases and add-ons. 

Younger generations are quickly shaping the future of nutrition and are especially interested in plant-based protein. According to Allied Market Research, millennials account for a sizable share in terms of consumption of the protein supplement market, as they look to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This young segment of consumers dominated the global protein supplement market in 2018 and is expected to continue through 2025.

Cassandra Jones, senior vice president of merch essentials and beauty at Target, recently shared in a blog post that Target guests are paying close attention to what they put in and on their bodies, from bath and skin care to vitamins and supplements – and that the retailer is responding to this focus with suitable brands.

Gainful raised $7.5 million in Series A funding in 2021.

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Venus Williams has joined Topspin, a consumer-focused private equity firm, as the firm’s newest Operating Partner. 

In her new role, the tennis pro and entrepreneur will work closely with Topspin and its portfolio companies on marketing strategies and brand exposure and assist in identifying new investment opportunities.

“Having had the pleasure of getting to know Venus for some time through our Operating Partner, Josh Shaw, who has worked closely with Venus and her family for over a decade, all of us at Topspin have been impressed by her strong business acumen, competitive spirit, wellness expertise, and vast professional network,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin. 

“She will serve as an invaluable resource for our portfolio companies, and we look forward to working with her to identify new and exciting investment opportunities.”

The tennis champ and businesswoman brings vast experience to Topspin as the founder of Happy Viking, a plant-based superfood nutrition company, lifestyle and activewear brand EleVen, and V Starr, an interior design firm. 

According to a report by Reuters, Williams began working for Topspin last November, and she accepted the role at the private equity firm because she wants to take a more formal approach to investing and helping grow businesses. Randall told Reuters that the tennis star has been participating in conversations on every new deal considered by Topspin.

Williams also partnered with Credo Beauty in 2020 to release a line of clean, mineral-based SPF products under EleVen by Venus and currently serves as Chief Brand Officer to the health, wellness, and beauty brand Asutra.

“What resonated with me most about Topspin was the team’s deep understanding of consumer investing and genuine desire to help entrepreneurs and visionaries reach their full potential,” said Williams. 

“I’ve learned so much about navigating the competitive consumer landscape from my own ventures, and strongly believe this is the perfect opportunity for me to leverage my expertise to add value – whether it be helping the firm’s portfolio companies improve their marketing efforts or identifying up-and-coming businesses to partner with,” she continued.

Topspin, based in Mamaroneck, New York, and founded in 2000, focuses on companies that sell consumer essentials and leverage digital marketing and e-commerce platforms to increase brand exposure and distribution.

Williams’s sister, Serena, is also heavily involved in the business world, recently launching her latest venture, Will Perform, a collection of topical pain relief and muscle care solutions. The recovery products were introduced in Target stores and on its website last December. Her sibling also backed singer Selena Gomez’s digital mental health platform, Wondermind, which is now valued at $100 million and has been a long-time investor in Tonal.

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It looks as though more people are taking Nike’s famous motto, “Just Do It,” to heart… and their wallet when it comes to buying the brand’s apparel. According to study findings from financial technology corporation Rakuten, the sportswear company remains most popular among its peers in the United States. Using Google search numbers, Rakuten discovered the average monthly search for Nike polled in at 6,650,000. In addition, the corporation was found most favored in the state of Utah.  

Following Nike at the number two spot is athletic apparel retailer Lululemon, gaining 5,730,000 average monthly searches on Google, and Adidas at number three (2,550,000 average monthly Google searches). Minnesotans are big advocates of Lululemon, while New Yorkers can’t get enough of Adidas. 

The number four and number five rankings of Rakuten’s study go to New Balance (1,640,000 average monthly Google searches) and Under Armour (1,150,000 average monthly Google Searches), respectively. Interestingly enough, the state with a significant interest in both brands is Maryland.  

In a deeper look at Google trends from state-to-state, Rakuten noted the state with the most interest in sportswear overall is New York, followed by Mississippi and Kansas. The states with the “least interest” in sportswear are New Mexico, Montana, and Vermont.

Rakuten’s sportswear popularity study was conducted within the past 12 months. Widely known for providing cash-back services and coupons for members, Rakuten has many stores on its platform including Nike, Lululemon, Walmart, Target, and Ulta Beauty.  

Here is Rakuten’s complete list of the top ten most popular sportswear brands in USA, along with each one’s average monthly search Google numbers and most interested states: 

1. Nike (6,650,000; Utah)
2. Lululemon (5,730,000; Minnesota)
3. Adidas (2,550,000; New York)
4. New Balance (1,640,000; Maryland)
5. Under Armour (1,150,000; Maryland)
6. Athleta (1,050,000; Minnesota)
7. Converse (1,010,000; Wyoming)
8. Patagonia (937,000; Vermont)
9. Gymshark (902,000; North Dakota)
10. Fabletics (882,000; Utah)

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Serena Williams is looking to soothe aches and pains with her latest business venture, Will Perform. The former tennis champ, investor, and designer has been busy after retiring her tennis racket and is now serving a collection of topical pain relief and muscle care solutions.

Will Perform will be available in Target stores and on Target’s website starting December 18.

Williams, who played her final match in ESPN’s most-watched tennis broadcast in network history this September, is launching Will Perform with the help of two seasoned business veterans, Hank Mercier and Eric Ryan. 

Clean and cruelty-free, the topical pain relief and muscle solution collection, intended for athletes or those with an active lifestyle, includes five products in four categories: WILL Relieve, Will Cool, Will Rest, and Will Soothe. The products are priced from $12.99 – $15.99.

While the roll-on and spray relief and cooling products will aid in pre- and post-workout pain relief, Will Perform’s Soothe and Rest products are designed for daily skin and muscle care.

“Recovery has played an integral role in my performance and professional success. It’s a practice that can benefit anyone with an active lifestyle. That belief is what inspired us to develop a line of products that targets your muscles and can be incorporated into your daily self-care routine,” says Williams of the newly-launched wellness line.

When designing the new venture, Serena Williams and the team made certain that the products would be appropriate and appealing for daily care routines rather than just when needed.

The daily muscle soothing lotion provides a skin-quenching experience complete with Magnesium and Ceramides, while WILL Rest Nightly Muscle Recovery Lotion provides a deeper overnight recovery as it relaxes muscles while you snooze.

“I love transforming the mundane into a new experience that consumers will be excited to incorporate into their daily lives,” says co-founder Ryan, who is also founder of the eco-friendly method brand, as well as OLLY and Welly. “You can’t expect people to adopt a ritual if it’s not enjoyable, and that’s where Will Perform feels truly disruptive. These are beautifully designed and thoughtfully formulated self-care products that consumers will look forward to using.”

Williams has been on an entrepreneurial quest, focusing on health and wellness endeavors. The tennis great recently backed Wondermind, a digital mental health firm launched by Selena Gomez, and has been a notable investor in Tonal, a strength-based at-home connected fitness brand.

She took to Instagram to share a clip of her walking confidently on the court before rolling on some WILL Relieve.

“This day has been years in the making, and I am super excited to be launching my new brand WILL PERFORM!!! Recovery has been such an important part of my career and my life — especially as a mom — so I can’t wait for you all to experience the recovery collection that I curated. Head over to @willperform and willperform.com to learn more!” Williams posted.

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If the onslaught of holiday shopping commercials and Mariah Carey memes seem to have come much earlier this year, brace yourself. Target and Apple have joined this year’s holiday festivities well before Thanksgiving with now a total of over 150 Apple at Target locations. At the shop-in-shops, Target Circle members have the opportunity to get a free four-month trial of Apple Fitness+ and access to certain Apple Services special offers, such as Apple Music, starting this month.  

Target Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Jill Sando believes Target shoppers will enjoy an even better one-of-a-kind Apple at Target adventure this holiday season. She explains, “For years, Target has been a destination for Apple products. Now we are excited to deepen our collaboration with Apple so even more guests can access the exceptional Apple at Target shop-in-shop experience. Through Target Circle, our popular free-to-join loyalty program, we’re also giving our guests the opportunity to try services like Apple Fitness+ for free, and with no purchase required.” 

“Guests love the branded and immersive retail experiences we’re creating with Apple and other partners including Disney, Ulta Beauty and Levi’s. With this Apple expansion, we’re giving guests even more reasons to choose Target for all their shopping and tech service needs,” adds Sando. 

Those with a penchant for online shopping can also enjoy shopping the Apple at Target collection on Target.com and in the Target app. Same-day shipping via Shipt is available without the need to purchase a membership. In addition, Target Red Card holders can enjoy five percent off Apple items purchased and free shipping for products (ordered from $35 or more) bought with a Target Red Card. 

For more information on where to find an Apple at Target shop-in-shop near you, visit https://www.target.com/store-locator/find-stores. 

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Now you’ll be able to purchase a TikTok viral Bloom Nutrition product at a local Target location.  

The highly-recognized supplement brand, responsible for its best-selling Greens & Superfoods Powder, has expanded into the retail market via Target. The viral supplement will be available to consumers in over 600 Target stores, as well as on Target.com. This development marks the health and wellness company’s first-ever foray from DTC to physical retail as well as on a website other than its own. Bloom Nutrition CEO Mari Llewellyn, who founded the brand in 2019, states she always believed the Bloom customer was a Target buyer, and that a major goal for the company would be to make its products better accessible all across the country. 

In a press statement, Llewellyn says, “When I began my own fitness journey, I was constantly in search of the all-in-one perfect supplement. I went to Target for all my shopping needs, but wished I could find a greens supplement to help me reach my wellness goals. To now see my own greens supplement on the shelves of Target is a dream come true, and I couldn’t have hoped for a better partner. We’re so excited to make Bloom’s Greens and Superfoods blend available in-store for the first time, so everyone has the opportunity to bloom into their best self!”

Don’t worry — Bloom’s Greens and Superfoods is still available in several different flavors via the bloomnu.com website and also through Amazon. It’s currently a #1 best selling product on Amazon Launchpad with a four and a half star rating, and thousands of reviews on the website. The powder supplement blend is marketed to help alleviate bloating, increase energy and support better digestion with more than 30 essential nutrients and 100 percent natural ingredients.

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POPSUGAR Fitness, the women’s lifestyle site that reaches 1 in 2 millennial women in the US, just announced its premiere fitness equipment collection. The 17-piece collection by POPSUGAR will be available exclusively in-stores and online at Target at the end of the month.

POPSUGAR’s collection, inspired by Class FitSugar, will include yoga mats, dumbbells, kettlebells, jump ropes, and step decks. The company says all pieces were created with an inclusive vision, meeting the needs of all shapes, sizes, and fitness skill levels. POPSUGAR believes that the exclusive offering in Target at the end of December will help inspire new fitness goals for 2022 for consumers. 

The media company, founded in 2006 by Brian and Lisa Sugar, started as a pop culture site. POPSUGAR was acquired by Group Nine Media, an American digital company, in 2019. 

“For over a decade we’ve helped millions of people keep their bodies moving and getting stronger, and POPSUGAR’s new fitness equipment line marks our latest brand expansion in the retail space,” said POPSUGAR Co-founder, Lisa Sugar. “We take a data-driven approach to all of our brand licensing programs, and these products were inspired by our top performing fitness and wellness content. Together, our digital editorial content and equipment line underscore POPSUGAR’s ultimate goal of bettering our audiences’ lives by providing real utility along their fitness and wellness journey.”

POPSUGAR Fitness has experienced significant growth and says it has attracted over three million new subscribers since 2020. The brand provides Instagram Live workouts led by fitness experts from Barry’s Bootcamp, LIT Method, trainers Rebecca Louise, and Jake DuPree. The company also just launched a new streaming channel on VIZIO SmartCast, where viewers can access POPSUGAR’s free fitness workouts, including the popular Class FITSUGAR. 

The pandemic-driven at-home fitness craze gave POPSUGAR a huge boost, leading its General Manager to call it a “moment for fitness,” as brands were looking to reach fitness consumers at home. With fitness studios and gyms closed, the company accelerated the launch of its free app, Active by PopSugar, featuring more than 500 workouts and challenges. The ad-free app included curated workout selections, allowing users to select a workout based on interest or fitness equipment availability. POPSUGAR said that the team worked through a weekend to roll out the app, excited to get it into the hands of antsy fitness enthusiasts looking to move while locked down.

With the new line in Target releasing soon, POPSUGAR should feel confident. The company has had success with its lifestyle-to-commerce approach in the past, with previous retail partnerships at Kohl’s and Old Navy, where the brand had featured clothing lines. POPSUGAR has also had a Disney Princess collaboration with Target, and the brand has launched subscription boxes and beauty products. 

CEO Lisa Sugar recently indicated that the brand will push into the wellness space. The company is reportedly eyeing home category opportunities and additional retail partnerships for the future.

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Care/of, a company that creates personalized vitamin regimens based on customers’ response to an online questionnaire, is branching out by selling readymade vitamin products at Target.

Care/of’s line for Target includes three multivitamins: 1) for prenatal care, 2) for men and women, and 3) five blends for sleep, relation, energy, immunity and focus, respectively.

The retail behemoth’s website and some locations are already stocking them. The vitamins sell for $14.99 and $18.99 for the prenatal multivitamins for 30-day supplies.

The product line claims a number of often-checked health product buzz phrases: “Certified C.L.E.A.N.,” “non-GMO,” “sugar-free,” “gluten-free,” “no unnecessary fillers” and either “vegan” or “vegetarian.”

The move comes after six months of German conglomerate Bayer buying 70 percent of Care/of for $225 million, with an option of owning it outright in 2025.

It was one of several recent investments or acquisitions by large corporations in online personalized health product businesses, which have captured a growing segment of the supplement market as one-time strip mall staples like GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe lost ground.

Nestlé Health Science acquired LivingMatrix, Unilever to bought SmartyPants Vitamins, and Nature’s Way purchased Baez. These acquisitions don’t just offer new, trendier wealth streams but also a wealth of information on consumer desires and health spending, drawn from custom orders.

For Care/of, the move to the crowded shelves of Target represents some confidence that brick-and-mortal retail will rebound after or has stayed sufficient throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also increase the visibility of Care/of to segments that don’t fulfill most of their health needs online.

For its part, Target has shown more interest in associating its ubiquitous brand with health, beauty and wellness, bringing in more exclusive health product offerings and experimenting with the presentation of its aisles associated with those groupings.

Care/of, founded in 2016, sought to take the desire to have everything customized and mail-delivered to the vitamin world. Think of it as Stitch Fix or Vinyl for your body.

The company claims six million people have utilized its services.

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