CVS plans to launch full-scale beauty centers this year

WOONSOCKET, R.I. - CVS/pharmacy has, over the years, taken an innovative approach to beauty to position itself as a beauty destination, and now the retailer is raising the bar even higher by piloting a new concept store called Beauty 360.

"For us, it is all about the evolution of where we have been. We believe this is a natural next step," Mike Bloom, senior vice president of merchandising, told Drug Store News. "We think about it as a pyramid where everybody plays at the bottom of the pyramid and everybody has entered into the game and everybody carries the same products. Then you see some retailers sort of moved out of that and into proprietary brands and then into [in-store skincare centers]. So we believe the next evolution is this concept."

The first Beauty 360 location is expected to open by the end of the year...