“Our goal is to create a premium fashion destination"

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  — Walmart and Lord & Taylor announced Monday that they are teaming up to create a new online fashion destination.

The companies said that Lord & Taylor will launch a flagship store on Walmart.com. The online store, expected to launch in spring 2018, will let Walmart.com offer a specialized online experience featuring Lord & Taylor apparel brands.

“Our goal is to create a premium fashion destination on Walmart.com,” said Denise Incandela, head of fashion at Walmart U.S. eCommerce. “We see customers on our site searching for higher-end items, and we are expanding our business online to focus on adding specialized and premium shopping experiences, starting with fashion. We’re excited that Lord & Taylor is part of the team we’re working with as we continue to create a new Walmart.com.”

Walmart said it is also changing the ways that customers will be able to shop fashion on the site, adding elements of discovery and inspiration.

For Lord & Taylor, having a dedicated store on Walmart.com and the Walmart app will allow it to potentially reach a much larger audience that it can through its own lordandtaylor.com site.

“As retail continues to change, this flagship store creates enormous growth opportunities for Lord & Taylor and our brand partners,” said Lord & Taylor president Liz Rodbell. “Our customers trust us to deliver high-quality fashion apparel and accessories, and we will soon be able to extend the reach of that offering to new customers through this flagship store. Walmart.com is a shopping destination that reaches a wide base of customers looking for premium fashion brands. They are a great company for us to work with as we continue to grow our digital presence.”

Walmart has aggressively expanded its online offerings over the past year, and currently offers more than 60 million items on the site, up from 20 million last year. That expansion has included more upscale brands that were added through acquisitions. Earlier this year Walmart acquired several online retailers, including Bonobos (men’s fashion), ModCloth (women’s fashion) and Moosejaw (outdoor clothing and gear).