NEW YORK (AP) — Peloton plans to sell its deluxe stationary bike at Costco this holiday season as the struggling connected-exercise company seeks to broaden its customer base.
The Peloton Bike+, a stationary bike that enables riders to participate in online classes and work out with a virtual community of friends, will be sold at a discount online and in 300 Costco stores from November through mid-February, the companies announced Tuesday.
The model will sell in Costco stores for $1,999 and will require self-assembly. That's about $500 cheaper than buying a new bike directly through Peloton's website, a purchase which includes delivery and setup. Costco will also sell the Peloton Bike+ on its website for $2,199, which includes delivery.
“The Costco brand is incredibly powerful and respected in the U.S. and abroad," Dion Camp Sanders, Peloton's chief emerging business officer, said in a news release. “Costco members know they are shopping for high quality products from trusted brands with the best value.”
The partnership with Costco is a way for Peloton to cast a wider net and make its products more accessible, said Angeli Gianchandani, an adjunct instructor at New York University's School of Professional Studies.
“Costco might be known for low cost, but at the same time they don’t shy away from carrying high-end products,” Gianchandani said. “And this falls in line with that strategy and how they carry their product selection to really appeal to a wider demographic that’s affluent, and they appreciate quality and value.”
Once marketed as an exclusive, aspirational brand, Peloton began rebranding itself to be seen as more accessible as it grappled with falling sales and a plummeting stock price. In August 2022, the company made its exercise bikes and other gear available for purchase on Amazon in the U.S.
The Peloton Bike+ is a step up from the original Peloton bike because it has a rotating touch-screen and a resistance knob that can be set to automatically adjust to an instructor’s recommendations. To participate in classes, riders purchase an all-access membership for $44 a month, which also includes classes in meditation, strength training, yoga and other disciplines.
Peloton’s choice to sell at Costco “appears to be based not just on Costco’s size and formidable footprint, but the nature of the demographics that shop at the warehouse club,” said Kimberly Whitler, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia. “Specifically, it appears that they are attempting to reach younger, wealthier individuals who are likely a prime demographic group.”