Bath & Body Works has introduced its new Gingham+ store design in more than 15 locations, including stores in South Korea, Los Angeles and Texas, and plans to continue rolling out the refreshed aesthetic in a majority of its planned U.S. store openings going forward. In addition to wider aisles and improved store navigation, the design template includes experiential elements such as scent bars in select stores where shoppers can test candles, Wallflowers home fragrance refills and fragrance mists.
The new layouts are designed to appeal to Gen Z consumers, who have shown a somewhat surprising preference for in-person shopping. “We’ve heard from this demographic that many of their purchase decisions are rooted in their ability to try a product first, and while we’ve previously offered this, our new design is more intentional with specific destinations in-store to test and learn,” said Eduardo Tonietto, Group VP of Store Design at Bath & Body Works in a statement. “Our team also knows that Gen Z is looking for a more relaxing and toned down in-store experience, so we’ve brought in a softer color palette for our fixtures and furnishings and incorporated a more neutral palette.”
The design also includes dedicated spaces for key product categories as well as videos to help customers discover new products and fragrances. Tonietto and his team led the development of the new design alongside Bath & Body Works’ store design team.
Bath & Body Works has been modernizing its core technology platforms to leverage the latest digital and AI solutions, including plans for a digital Fragrance Finder, a gen AI-powered conversational experience designed to help customer find their perfect fragrance.
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The retailer generated net sales of $7.3 billion in FY 2024, which ended Feb. 1, 2025, a 1.6% decrease from the previous year’s $7.5 billion. Along with ecommerce, the retailer operates more than 1,890 company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada as well as 525+ international franchised locations.