Peloton Interactive’s stock jumped after hours Wednesday after the connected-exercise-bike maker and yoga-wear giant Lululemon Athletica announced a five-year partnership that will combine digital fitness with workout and athleisure gear starting next month.
The move comes as the fitness industry recalibrates after a boom and bust in at-home workouts due to the pandemic, and after Peloton
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and Lululemon
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tried to compete with each other directly on connected fitness. But as part of the deal, Lululemon will stop selling its Lululemon Studio Mirror — its answer to Peloton’s pairing of exercise equipment and exercise videos — before the end of the year.
Shares of Peloton climbed 13.3% after hours Wednesday. Lululemon’s stock was up 0.3% after hours.
Under the partnership, Peloton will become the “exclusive digital fitness content provider” for Lululemon. Lululemon, meanwhile, will become Peloton’s “primary athletic-apparel partner.” Some Peloton instructors will also promote Lululemon’s clothing as part of the arrangement.
The partnership will target customers across North America, the U.K., Germany and Australia. Starting Oct. 11, co-branded clothing across Lululemon’s products will be available at Peloton stores and online in the United States, the U.K. and Canada, and in Peloton’s markets by March. Beginning Nov. 1, Lululemon Studio All-Access Members will have access to Peloton classes.
“Our two companies share a vision to advance wellbeing through movement, and this partnership ensures our lululemon Studio Members will have access to the most expansive and dynamic offering of fitness content possible,” Celeste Burgoyne, Lululemon’s president for the Americas and global guest innovation, said in a statement.
Lululemon bought Mirror — an interactive fitness company that displayed workout videos and fitness data on an actual mirror — for $500 million in 2020, when much of the world still faced pandemic-related restrictions.
Then, lockdowns eased and pre-pandemic habits returned. Gyms reopened. Peloton started getting into trouble. It has cut jobs, shaken up leadership and announced a recall of 2 million exercise bikes due to injury risks. Shares of the company have fallen more than 90% since late 2020.
Lululemon stock, however, has run higher since that time. Some analysts last year said that clothing made by the company was less prone to a broader apparel discounting frenzy. During its most recent round of earnings, Lululemon raised its full-year outlook despite what it called a “dynamic operating environment.”
