Women’s Wellness event spotlights the future of retail health

NEW YORK — Retailers, brands, health care leaders, investors, and researchers gathered in New York last week for Women’s Wellness: The Next Revolution, presented by retailmediaIQ and WSL Strategic Retail, to explore how the retail industry can better serve women at every stage of life.

The event brought together executives from across the health, beauty, pharmacy, consumer goods, and retail sectors for a full day of discussions on topics ranging from menopause, hormonal health, and sexual wellness to longevity, GLP-1 therapies, personalized nutrition, AI, consumer trust, and the growing economic influence of women.

Throughout the day, speakers emphasized that women’s wellness has evolved from a single category into a broad ecosystem spanning beauty, pharmacy, nutrition, preventive care, technology and lifestyle. They also stressed that retailers are uniquely positioned to make trusted health information, products and services more accessible through their stores, pharmacies and digital platforms.

The morning sessions focused on how retailers and brands can better support women by improving education, access and affordability, and by addressing unmet needs at every life stage. Executives from Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Holland & Barrett, Stripes Beauty, Pogo and other organizations discussed how the industry can move women’s wellness from the margins to the mainstream.

The afternoon program shifted toward the broader business opportunity, examining emerging consumer trends, economic forces and retail innovation. Presentations from NIQ, Morgan Stanley, MECCA and other leaders explored how shifting demographics, evolving consumer behavior and new wellness expectations are reshaping merchandising, store design and investment strategies.

The event reinforced a consistent message across every session: women are taking greater control of their health journeys, seeking personalized, science-backed solutions, and expecting retailers to play a larger role in helping them navigate increasingly complex wellness decisions.

A special thank you to the sponsors who made Women’s Wellness: The Next Revolution possible. Their support brought together retail, health care and brand leaders for a day of meaningful conversations about the future of women’s health. We appreciate their commitment to advancing innovation, education and access at every stage of the women’s wellness journey.