Tonal triples its physical stores with Nordstrom partnership – TechCrunch

TonalThe maker of the smart home fitness trainer announced that it has more than tripled the number of physical locations where devices are sold through a new partnership with Nordstrom.

Starting this month, Tonal will have 50-square-foot wards in the women’s activewear departments in at least 40 Nordstrom locations in the U.S., bringing the total number of Tonal physical locations to 60 by the end of 2021. Buyers can run into or book appointments to try out Tonal devices and purchase them through the existing staff.

“As we looked to expand our retail presence and strategy, we focused on the retail landscape and we really feel that Nordstrom is saying ‘best in class’ – the department store is well suited to being in one COVID and a post-COVID world, ”explained Christopher Stadler, CMO of Tonal.

Tonal, which makes a wall-mounted device with a digital weight system that emulates various traditional fitness stations, already operates 16 locations across the country with shoppers’ exercise equipment and plans to open four more showrooms later this year. But the partnership with Nordstrom that awaits Total sales growth of 25% In 2021 it will be unique for home fitness manufacturers. For example, Peloton operates a larger network of dedicated showrooms in the US, Canada, Germany and the UK but has yet to work with an outside retailer to display and demonstrate its bikes and treadmills.

Tonal’s physical expansion is taking place amid a boom in home device demand during the pandemic. According to Stadler, sales of Tonal devices increased by 800% from December 2019 to December 2020, resulting in waiting times of 10 to 12 weeks for deliveries. These delays are comparable to Peloton, which has also had significant waiting times for delivery over the past few months and is currently reporting delays of 6 to 10 weeks – an issue that Peloton CEO John Foley acknowledged and apologized in a note to users.

For its part, Tonal is working to fix shipping delays. According to Stadler, the startup has ramped up equipment production significantly, increased the number of employees and, in some cases, has now shipped airships from Taiwan to the US to meet demand.

“We have seen exceptional demand for tonals and are working aggressively around the clock to produce, deliver and install tonals faster and faster,” says Stadler. “We have absolutely ramped up production and all facets of the company are gathering to deliver our customer orders as quickly as possible.”

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