In an era where retail and hospitality intertwine more closely than ever, one retail operation has carved a distinctive niche for itself, blending the art of merchandising with luxury hospitality.
Husband and wife duo Huw Collins and Molly Shaheen, co-founders of the WHEAT Collection, take a unique approach that goes beyond traditional retail boundaries to combine a top-notch in-store shopping experience with luxury hotels known for above-and-beyond service.
With store locations at top luxury hotel destinations including the Four Seasons in Lanai, Anguilla, and Los Angeles, Faraway Hotel in Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard, as well as the Ritz Carlton Maui, their strategy is to curate relevant, personalized shopping experiences on-site at these locations that speak to the needs and wants of visiting hotel guests.
The two are uniquely positioned for the task, with complementary backgrounds and skillsets that enable this big-picture vision. Shaheen comes from a background in entrepreneurship and brings a keen sense of business and an innate understanding of the nuts and bolts around operating within the retail landscape.
Collins, a former professional athlete turned actor, contributes a unique perspective combining dogged persistence with a flair for understanding the customer’s emotional journey. Together, they’ve built a company ecosystem diverse as it is cohesive, covering operations, finance, HR, buying, development, and visual merchandising.
The founders’ approach to retail focuses not just on the act of selling, but on creating an immersive experience that resonates with the luxury traveler. Their foray into hospitality retail began with a challenge: transforming a 450-square-foot space in Casa Del Mar from a private dining area into a thriving retail spot.
Despite initial skepticism, their success over the last five years attests to their ability to understand and fulfill the nuanced needs of their clientele. Since starting WHEAT in 2017, the brand has seen 100% year-over-year revenue growth, aside from the anomalous pandemic year in 2020.
“We’ve proven that at these luxury hotels, we can raise the retail sales per square foot by 50-100% in year one, and then build upward from there to maximize the potential revenue upside,” Collins said.
The brand’s partnership with Four Seasons marks a significant milestone for the pair, reflecting a mutual respect for luxury, quality, and guest experience. This collaboration, however, is not just about placing retail within hotels; it’s about reimagining hotel retail as a fundamental part of the guest experience.
By focusing on the specifics—understanding the guest demographic, curating merchandise accordingly, and ensuring that each piece has a story—the retail operation adds a layer of memory and meaning to the guest’s stay.
As such, their strategy extends beyond reactive solutions to proactive visioning. Anticipating needs, understanding market trends, and creating a sense of place through meticulously chosen products allow them to navigate the peaks and plateaus of seasonality within the hospitality industry.
“WHEAT, with its refined and unique approach to fashion, is a wonderful retail partner for us here at Four Seasons Resort Lanai,” said Avi Phookan, General Manager at Four Seasons Lanai. “The collection is tailored to our landscape, to the point that our sister property Sensei Lanai even has distinctly curated items on display.”
This foresight is evident in WHEAT’s expansion strategy, where the duo engages not only in partnerships with hotels like Four Seasons but also in standalone stores in key markets, ensuring a presence that complements their vision of luxury retail.
Online, their product focus narrows to WHEAT’s in-house brand of sustainable, made-in-America loungewear, candles, and fragrances—much of which retails for under $150. This strategic choice reflects a deep understanding of their market: consumers seeking unique, memorable pieces that evoke the spirit of their travels and comfortable, “quiet luxury” travelwear for buyers going to and from their destinations.
This dialed-in direct-to-consumer approach around the brand’s online presence is paying off, too. “2024 year-to-date, already has us up over 200% on last year’s first-quarter numbers on the ecommerce side,” said Collins. “And as our portfolio of destinations has grown, we’ve seen a large impact on the online side of the business. In 2024, our online sales were up 1,000% year-over-year.”
As they look to the future, the founders remain committed to organic growth, deepening existing relationships, and leveraging their expertise via consulting work to explore new opportunities that align with their hospitality retail experience.
As brands look to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace, WHEAT’s founders’ approach is to focus not just on selling products, but on curating experiences, memories, and connections in tandem with strategic luxury hotel collaborations, thus redefining what it means to shop in the luxury hospitality environment.
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