How exciting that the popular Bath & Body Works (BBW) store now has its first store in Maui and the Neighbor Islands! Its grand opening was on 11/9/15 in the former Kids Foot Locker and the Walking Co. space in the Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center, the largest shopping mall in the Neighbor Islands!
There are now a total of four BBW stores in Hawaii. First opened in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio, BBW is one of the leading specialty retailers of personal care products and home fragrances. They have various collections of hand soaps and sanitizers, body lotions, shower gels, fragrance mists, perfumes, aromatherapy products, candles, and more with pleasant scents using creative names. The innovative scent names include: Winter Candy Apple, Vanilla Bean Noelle, Merry Cookie, Frosted Cranberry, Fresh Sparking Snow, Pearberry, Cherry Blossom, Cocoa Mint, Sparking Limoncello, Sunlight & Apple Trees, and more.
It was exciting to be at the grand opening when the doors first opened at 9:30 am! A blessing was held, and pictures taken of its employees, all dressed in white with purple orchid leis. A good crowd waited outside the store prior to opening and once the doors opened, a mad rush could be seen to be one of the first in the store. Unfortunately, management did not form a line, so people were coming from the middle and sides, resulting in people haphazardly entering the store. Security first allowed the 40 people in, followed by groups of 20. After leaving the store about an hour later, I noticed a line was formed outside the store.
Three long lines were formed within the store to pay. The lines moved slowly due to: 1) people buying a lot of items to take advantage of a $10 off $30 purchase coupons that were given when you entered the store; and 2) providing e-mail addresses to the cashier for future discounts. It would have been more efficient instead to have one line instead three lines funneling to the five cashiers on a first come, first-served basis, but I could understand having one line in a busy store could be problematic with it snaking its way around the store. With three lines, though, it was difficult to browse through the different items, as people in these lines were blocking the products.
Although there were no grand opening sales per se, there were items that were on sale at the same time as other stores in Hawaii, e.g., body lotions were buy 3, get 3 free; pocket sanitizers were 5 for $6; and hand soaps were 4 for $18 or 6 for $24. I'm sure there will be many more sales. and just in time for the Christmas rush.
Despite the opening day jitters, the local residents were happy to have a BBW store where they can buy quality body, hand, and home products of different scents that change with the seasons or those that are popular year round. Before the store opened, it was common to see Maui residents buy these products on Oahu and Mainland and bring them back to Maui. And friends and family would do the same and give them as gifts, as Maui residents did not have access to them. Plus, you could not carry on the liquid soaps and lotions on the plane due to TSA requirements and had to be checked in as luggage. Now, no need for Maui residents to buy them from Oahu or on the Mainland, as well as to transport the products and worrying whether TSA would confiscate them.
BBW's parent company is L Brands, which is an international company that owns 2,971 specialty stores in the US, Canada, and UK. Their specialty stores include Victoria's Secret, PINK, BBW, La Senza, and Henri Bendel. There are also some 600 additional franchised locations worldwide. There are a total of 1,558 BBW locations in the US, and 88 BBW locations in Canada.
And wherever there is a BBW, a Victoria Secret store known for women's lingerie, will follow. No exception for Maui, as one will open just around the corner in the same shopping center in Feb. 2016! Another grand opening to look forward to!
One more Mainland big box chain for Maui residents - yes! Maui no ka oi (Maui the best)! read more