According to Forbes, Knix is launching one of its biggest retail expansions yet, planning to grow from 9 to 19 stores in Canada by the end of this year. The brand opened its first New York City store this past summer and just entered its first U.S. wholesale partnership with Bloomingdale’s. Chief Commercial Officer Nicole Tapscott says the expansion is driven by direct customer demand for physical stores, especially for categories like period underwear and bras where fit and education matter. The global market for reusable period underwear is projected to hit $391 million by 2034, up from $271 million now. Knix’s new stores, opening in major malls from Toronto to Calgary, feature a redesigned self-service layout and will host community events like teen period workshops.
The physical retail calculus
Here’s the thing: for a brand built on community and tackling traditionally awkward topics, e-commerce alone has limits. You can’t easily ask a website to explain absorbency levels or get a bra fitting that accounts for postpartum changes. Knix’s leadership is basically admitting that their digital-first journey was always a path to this moment. The store isn’t just a point of sale; it’s a trust-building tool and a community hub. And they’re doubling down on that right in the middle of the holiday rush, which is either incredibly bold or a sign of serious confidence in their location strategy.
But they’re not alone in this bet. The whole category is moving this way. Skims is opening stores, Victoria’s Secret is adding leakproof options, and the shelf space is growing. When the big players zig, you have to zag with something different. For Knix, that differentiator seems to be a hyper-local, neighborhood feel—partnering with local bakeries for openings, hosting those teen kit-building workshops. It’s retail as a third place, not just a transaction.
The omnichannel engine
The most interesting data point Tapscott dropped? The highest-lifetime-value customer shops both online and in-store. That’s the holy grail. The store introduces the brand and solves the initial fit problem, then the digital channel handles easy replenishment and new color drops. Each channel feeds the other. It’s a smarter model than just chasing online ad clicks, which are getting pricier and less effective by the day. This is how you build a real business, not just a viral DTC brand.
And their U.S. strategy feels measured, which is probably wise. A New York flagship and a Bloomingdale’s partnership are fantastic footholds. It gives them brand prestige and a wider audience without the massive capital risk of a huge national store roll-out. They’re playing the long game, exploring the Northeast first. It mirrors what other successful Canadian brands like Mejuri have done—use home market strength to fund careful, deliberate expansion south of the border.
Beyond the product
Tapscott’s quote about brands creating culture, not just reflecting it, is key. That’s the ambition here. Knix Teen (KT) isn’t just a product line; it’s a mission to normalize periods for a new generation. Think about that. If you can be the brand a mom takes her daughter to for a first-period kit in a supportive, cool environment, you’ve won a customer for life across multiple categories. That’s powerful stuff. It transforms the brand from a maker of leakproof underwear into a life-stage partner.
So what’s the trajectory? They’re balancing growth on three fronts: dominating Canada, a selective U.S. crawl, and product innovation for every life stage (teen, postpartum, perimenopause). It’s a classic “go deep before going wide” strategy. The Knix playbook now looks less like a startup and more like a modern retail leader. They’ve realized that to own the category they helped create, they need to be everywhere their customer is—online, in department stores, and on the main floor of the local mall. And honestly, in a shaky retail environment, that kind of clear, customer-driven focus might just be their biggest asset.
