Lululemon’s Mirror continues to make moves in the at-home fitness space.
The fitness equipment business, which is owned by Lululemon Athletica, will soon offer dumbbells and ankle weights that connect to the at-home gym system. The new accessories will help enhance exercise sessions as many consumers stick to at-home workout routines (even if only part of the time with gym reopenings) and the retailer looks to increase its position in the overall at-home fitness industry.
“Mirror is all about immersion and interaction: You see yourself, your instructor, the community, your metrics, all on an immersive display, and it adapts to the needs of the individual user in real-time,” the company said in a statement. “Weights are the next big step in building out the high-quality ‘workout as an experience’ that Mirror has become known for.”
Each free weight, which are available in one pound up to 35 pounds, has numbers on the side that light up when connected to Mirror. The fitness system helps personalize each workout by allowing users to track the number of reps in each session. The at-home gym also offers tips on form correction and the recommended number of weights to use for each workout.
In addition, as part of Lululemon’s continued mission to promote a healthy lifestyle, Mirror has created the Universal Health Score, or UHS, which includes heart, muscle and recovery metrics to help members track the amount of cardio, strength and recovery a user needs to maintain their fitness goals.
Free weight accessories will be available Nov. 22 at both Lululemon stores and shop.lululemon.com, and range in price from $50 to $200 each.
Mirror, which offers live and on-demand fitness sessions, as well as one-on-one training sessions, at home, was acquired by Lululemon in the summer of 2020 for $500 million, in the retailer’s attempt to gain access to the at-home fitness industry — one that includes the likes of Peloton and Hydrow Rower.
Lululemon didn’t break down Mirror’s revenues during the most recent quarter, but has previously said it expects Mirror to generate revenues of about $150 million annually.
“We have our eyes on the long game with Mirror and the community we’re building,” chief executive officer Calvin McDonald said earlier this year.
As of September, Lululemon had about 150 Mirror shops-in-shop in its stores. But McDonald said the company plans to increase that to closer to 200 for the upcoming holiday season. (Mirror made its first appearance in Lululemon stores Stateside back in November 2020.)
Most recently, Mirror, which was founded in 2018, revealed plans to roll out the fitness machines to 40 Lululemon stores in Canada later this month, as well as the Canadian e-commerce shop.
Amid the increased demand for at-home fitness options comes increased competition. Fitness platform Peloton, which was founded in 2012 and went public in September 2019, has more than 5.9 million subscription members. In addition to its stationary bikes and treadmills, the brand offers fitness classes on its app and recently launched its first private-label apparel collection.
Last fall, Hydrow Rower launched a partnership with Fabletics, the activewear and loungewear brand co-created by actress Kate Hudson and TechStyle Fashion Group, allowing shoppers to test out the machines in seven Fabletic stores nationwide. The partnership also made Fabletics the official apparel partner of Hydrow Rower and gave Fabletics’ roughly 2 million VIP members access to special Hydrow Rower pricing.
Even so, Lululemon continues to gain share in the growing athletic apparel and accessories markets, logging $208 million in profits in the last three months and raising its full-year guidance as a result.
The company has plans to roll out footwear, streetwear, yoga mats and bags made from mushrooms and additional experiential stores in 2022.
Lululemon launched a resale program called Like New in April. In October, the Canadian-based retailer revealed its first Team Canada x Lululemon Olympic Games kit, which includes apparel and accessories for athletes, coaches and Mission team members during the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and media events, as well as village wear during the Games. Lululemon’s multiyear partnership to outfit Team Canada for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter games runs through 2028. A selection of Team Canada x Lululemon apparel and accessories — such as premium down jackets, leggings, bags, hats, gloves and tops — can be purchased on the company’s Canadian website and in Canadian-based Lululemon stores.
Team Canada x Lululemon athletic ambassadors includes ice hockey player Brigette Lacquette, Paralympic skier Frederique Turgeon, bobsled champion Justin Kripps, snowboarder Brooke D’Hondt and figure skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, among others.