Bath & Body Works Launches on Amazon
Mall-based beauty retailer Bath & Body Works has launched a storefront on Amazon. This strategic shift toward omnichannel distribution signals a broader trend of established brands experimenting with new sales channels. Such moves can often lead to surplus or overstock inventory as companies adjust to new allocation and forecasting models.
- The move is part of a broader "Consumer First Formula" strategy announced in November 2025 to revitalize the brand. The company acknowledged that between $60 to $80 million in unauthorized "gray market" sales were already occurring on Amazon, which this official storefront aims to recapture and control. - This is Bath & Body Works' first authorized storefront on the platform, which went live on February 20, 2026. The launch features a curated selection of best-selling products, including scents like Champagne Toast and Mahogany Teakwood in forms such as candles, body cream, and hand soaps. - The strategic shift comes amid financial pressure, as the company reported a 2.6% year-over-year decrease in net sales for the third quarter of 2023 and projected a sales decline for the full year. In February 2026, analysts from Citi forecasted that fiscal 2026 could mark the company's fifth consecutive year of falling sales. - Concurrent with this channel expansion, the company is actively simplifying its product offerings. Beginning in the first quarter of 2026, it plans to exit underperforming and complex categories like men's grooming and hair care to reduce customer confusion and improve inventory management. - Inventory levels have been a focus, with the company ending the third quarter with $1.3 billion in inventory, an increase from $1.2 billion the previous year. The company's inventory turnover rate has also decreased for three consecutive fiscal years, from 2023 to 2025. - Timed with the Amazon debut, the company is also launching an evolved brand identity. This new, more modern branding with "richer, more visually compelling storytelling" will appear on the Amazon storefront before rolling out to Bath & Body Works' own channels later in the year. - Some analysts have expressed caution regarding the move; a Citi analyst downgraded the stock in February 2026, suggesting that launching on Amazon could make it more difficult for the company to stabilize its core business. - This large-scale marketplace launch follows a smaller, successful third-party test that began in August 2025. That initiative placed curated product collections in 600 U.S. college campus stores and has since expanded to over 1,000 locations based on a positive response.
