Hy-Vee Gets in the Nail Business

First shoes, now nails. Hy-Vee, which opened DSW shop-in-shops in some of its stores last year, continues to bring experiential experiences to its stores, now with in-store nail salons.

The West Des Moines-based retailer is partnering with The W Nail Bar, a full-service, all-natural nail salon, to open several in-store nail salons by the end of 2021 inside select Hy-Vee locations across its eight-state region. The first nail salon will open in early April inside the Hy-Vee in Bettendorf, Iowa.

The W Nail Bar also has its own line of all-natural, handmade products that will soon be available at select Hy-Vee locations.

“Through our partnership with The W Nail Bar, we are revolutionizing the way customers shop in our stores by bringing engaging, experiential and convenient services to our customers,” said Randy Edeker, chairman, president and CEO of Hy-Vee. “We are proud to launch this partnership with a company that shares many of the same goals that we do at Hy-Vee, including innovative offerings and exceptional customer service.”

The W Nail Bar is family- and female-owned, founded by two sisters from Ohio—Lauren Hunter and Manda Mason—who grew up working in their family’s grocery store before pursuing their own careers and later combined forces in 2015 to open their first The W Nail Bar in Columbus, Ohio. 

“Originating from a family of grocers ourselves, we could not picture a better fit for The W Nail Bar,” said Lauren Hunter. “We are excited to collaborate with Hy-Vee to bring our own twist to the grocery space, offering safe, all-natural nail and beauty services and products to Hy-Vee customers.”

Services include manicures, pedicures, nail art, waxing, tinting and more, with full-service manicures starting at $35 and full-service pedicures starting at $55.

Already known for its cleanliness and customer service, The W Nail Bar, in light of COVID-19, has implemented extra protocols, including contactless payment and plexiglass barriers that are used between customers and technicians . The salons are also currently operating at 50% capacity to ensure social distancing.

Hy-Vee has more than 275 retail stores. Its DSW shop-in-shops are in six stores throughout Minnesota.