Hy-Vee to deploy eyeglass kiosks in stores

Adding to its lineup of in-store boutiques, Hy-Vee has partnered with online retailer Pair Eyewear to deploy branded eyewear kiosks at selected supermarkets.

Hy-Vee said Thursday that the first Pair Eyewear kiosk will be located inside the Midwestern grocer’s new 93,000-square-foot store in Grimes, Iowa, which is slated to open on Sept. 14.

The Pair Eyewear kiosks will offer Hy-Vee customers a hybrid shopping experience. Shoppers will be able to try on frames for glasses in stores and then place prescription and nonprescription orders online at the in-store kiosk. Products will be shipped directly to the customers’ homes in five to seven business days via standard free shipping.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee noted that it will be the first U.S. retailer to enable customers to try on and shop Pair Eyewear products in stores.

“The introduction of Pair Eyewear to our Hy-Vee customers brings variety and value to their shopping experience through this hybrid model,” Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president at Hy-Vee, said in a statement. “By combining our in-store format with Pair’s e-commerce platform, we are able to build a unique and convenient experience for our customers.”

Pair Eyewear offers high-quality, affordable and personalized eyewear, according to Hy-Vee. For adults and children, the brand’s products include optical glasses, sunglasses and blue-light glasses, available in prescription and nonprescription form. Besides base frames, customers can choose from a wide variety of “top frames” that attach to the base magnetically, allowing wearers to quickly change their style.

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New York-based Pair Eyewear said its top-frame selection spans more than 1,000 customizable designs, including collaborations ranging from Harry Potter and Marvel to pro sports leagues like the NHL and MLB. Base frames start at $60, including prescription lenses, while top frames start at $25 apiece.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Hy-Vee in launching Pair Eyewear’s first physical retail outpost as we continue to reimagine the way people shop for glasses,” commented Pair Eyewear Co-CEO and co-founder Sophia Edelstein. “We look forward to introducing our innovative, customizable products to Hy-Vee customers in a fun and interactive setting, encouraging Hy-Vee customers to personalize and wear their Pair Eyewear as an empowering form of self-expression.”

The partnership with Pair Eyewear marks Hy-Vee’s latest “store in a store” offering to expand its product mix and consumer appeal beyond food and groceries.

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In March, Hy-Vee unveiled a partnership with The W Nail Bar to open several in-store nail salons this year. The first W Nail Bar location opened inside the Hy-Vee supermarket in Bettendorf, Iowa, in early April, and more salons are slated to launch in stores across the grocer’s eight-state Midwestern market area by the end of 2021.

Last fall, Hy-Vee opened six DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse “shop-in-shops” inside six of its supermarkets in the Twin Cities area. And in July 2019, Hy-Vee started selling apparel, accessories, footwear and beauty care items under Loblaw Cos.’ Joe Fresh fashion brand in selected stores. The affordable fashion line is presented in a Joe Fresh-branded “shop-in-shop” department and includes items for women, men, children and babies. Also, in 2018, Hy-Vee teamed up with upscale bath and beauty brand Basin to open in-store boutiques and displays, dubbed Basin and Beauty.

Overall, Hy-Vee operates more than 280 food and drug stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.