Thyme & Table partners with Walmart to launch exclusive appliance line that redefines affordable kitchen luxury

Thyme & Table, the design-forward kitchenware brand developed by Core Home and sold exclusively through Walmart, has taken a bold leap into the world of small kitchen electronics. This strategic expansion into appliances marks a turning point not only for the brand but also for the broader homeware retail landscape. As of June 9, 2025, Thyme & Table is offering a new line of countertop appliances that combines aspirational aesthetics with consumer-friendly pricing. While Core Home remains privately held, the implications of this move echo across the retail and consumer goods sectors, particularly in how exclusive partnerships are reshaping the competitive dynamics of the appliance market. For Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), this partnership enhances its ability to offer value-first innovation at scale, reinforcing its private-label dominance and deepening its appeal to design-conscious yet budget-sensitive consumers.

This launch comes at a time when inflation-weary shoppers are demanding more for less, while still expecting elevated design, ease of use, and multi-functionality from their kitchen gadgets. At the same time, retailers and brands alike are responding to slowing demand across general merchandise categories by seeking high-margin segments to bolster revenue. The kitchen electronics market—especially categories like air fryers, espresso machines, and blenders—has proven resilient, with consumers prioritizing healthy home-cooked meals and specialty beverage-making at home. Thyme & Table is stepping into this space with products that feel luxurious but are priced accessibly, a move that has the potential to disrupt legacy players and change consumer expectations.

How Does This Launch Align with Broader Retail and Consumer Appliance Trends?

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the small kitchen appliance market experienced an unprecedented surge. Consumers retooled their kitchens for everything from sourdough baking to café-quality espresso preparation. While demand normalized in 2023 and 2024, several trends remained sticky—namely the desire for healthier cooking methods, such as air frying, and the growing appetite for customizable, home-based beverage experiences.

The launch of Thyme & Table appliances fits squarely within this continued evolution. Industry giants like De’Longhi, Breville, and SharkNinja have long defined the higher end of the appliance market, but their price points often deter budget-conscious shoppers. Thyme & Table™, backed by Walmart’s scale and Core Home’s design DNA, introduces a new value equation. The brand is offering similar feature sets, streamlined aesthetics, and even proprietary technologies—like Smart Crush™ vortex blending or ThymeCrisp™ heating—in devices that cost a fraction of those from legacy competitors.

Moreover, this launch underscores a broader shift in retail strategy. Retailers, especially Walmart, are leaning into private-label and exclusive brand development to fend off competition from Amazon and club-based retailers like Costco. Consumers are increasingly drawn to curated, exclusive product experiences that deliver perceived value, quality, and style without the brand name markup. By expanding Thyme & Table from dinnerware into electronics, Core Home is capitalizing on this shift with a product line that aligns with Walmart’s broader strategy to differentiate itself through exclusive offerings.

What Are the Key Features of Thyme & Table™’s New Appliance Line?

The new appliance range features thoughtfully designed tools that reflect Thyme & Table™’s signature style while offering powerful performance. The product line includes blenders, espresso machines, coffee makers, toasters, slow cookers, and air fryers—each carefully engineered to meet modern consumer needs. Take, for instance, the Mini Espresso Machine, priced at $128, which delivers a barista-grade experience using a 15-bar pressure system and steam wand. At the higher end of the spectrum, the $368 Grind & Brew Espresso Machine offers 30 grind settings and programmable brew controls, allowing users to customize their drink down to the second.

The Air Fryer, priced at $79, uses a vortex-style CrispFlow™ design to ensure uniform cooking, while the ThymeCrisp™ heating technology enhances air circulation for perfectly crisp textures. Meanwhile, the $59 Single-Serve Blender showcases Smart Crush™ technology and a six-point stainless steel blade system designed to handle everything from frozen fruit to nut butters. Across the lineup, the appliances are designed to be compact enough for smaller kitchens while still delivering professional-level results. They also cater to the growing demand for sustainability and convenience, offering reusable lids, BPA-free components, and easy-clean features.

From a consumer behavior standpoint, the line appeals to both style-conscious Millennials and Gen Z shoppers, as well as value-seeking families looking for reliability and aesthetics in one package. With its matte finishes, contemporary color palettes, and intuitive interfaces, the product line stands out in a crowded market and reaffirms that quality design doesn’t have to be expensive.

How Does This Expansion Build on Core Home and Walmart’s Retail Relationship?

Core Home and Walmart have nurtured a long-standing relationship grounded in shared priorities: affordability, innovation, and scale. Core Home, known for its vertically integrated operations and trend-driven design capabilities, has positioned Thyme & Table™ as a hero brand within Walmart’s kitchenware ecosystem. This latest expansion from cookware and dinnerware into electric appliances was a natural next step, aimed at capturing a larger share of the consumer’s kitchen spend.

Walmart, for its part, has been actively investing in exclusive brands to improve general merchandise performance, which had been under pressure compared to grocery and consumables. In Walmart’s Q1 FY2026 earnings call, executives noted that private-label home goods sales had grown by nearly 15% year-over-year, driven in large part by exclusive launches that created value and trust with shoppers. The retailer’s infrastructure—across logistics, pricing, and omnichannel reach—offers Core Home the ability to scale appliance distribution without assuming the overhead typically associated with launching new categories.

Danielle Lyman, Vice President of Cooking & Dining Merchandising at Walmart U.S., emphasized that the Thyme & Table appliance line was built with performance and aesthetic value in mind. This underscores Walmart’s strategy to position its in-house and exclusive brands not as cheaper alternatives, but as first-choice solutions for modern consumers. In return, Core Home benefits from built-in merchandising support, robust data analytics, and real-time consumer feedback through Walmart’s channels.

What Could This Mean for Competitors in the Small Kitchen Appliance Market?

The entry of Thyme & Table™ into the appliance space presents immediate and long-term challenges for established players. Brands like Hamilton Beach, Black+Decker, and Oster may experience margin and shelf-space pressures as Walmart prioritizes exclusive products over third-party SKUs. This could lead to a gradual displacement of legacy brands, particularly those that have failed to innovate on design or have leaned heavily on distribution without refreshing their value propositions.

For mid-market leaders like Breville and Cuisinart, Thyme & Table™ introduces pricing pressure from below. While these brands enjoy strong brand equity and feature-rich portfolios, they often price their products beyond the reach of younger or lower-income consumers. Thyme & Table™ offers comparable functionality at significantly lower prices, positioning itself as a “first luxury” option—a strategic niche that could attract new consumers or those trading down without sacrificing performance or design.

Moreover, the sleek branding and performance claims of the Thyme & Table™ line will likely resonate with social media-savvy consumers who increasingly turn to platforms like TikTok and Instagram for kitchen inspiration. Competitors will need to respond by either innovating at the premium end or introducing sub-lines to fend off encroachment in the mid-tier.

Is There Market or Analyst Sentiment Around Walmart’s Exclusive Strategy?

Although Core Home is not publicly traded, Walmart’s stock activity provides a useful lens through which to assess market sentiment. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has seen continued institutional inflows over the last two quarters, with notable positions increased by Vanguard Group and BlackRock, whose combined holdings rose by over $2 billion. Analysts have highlighted Walmart’s expansion in private-label and exclusive brand categories as a key margin lever, particularly as general merchandise categories recover from post-pandemic sluggishness.

During Walmart’s latest earnings call, executives pointed to strong performance in home categories, attributing gains in part to higher-value, design-forward exclusives. Analysts from Morgan Stanley and BMO Capital have noted that Walmart’s focus on curated brand experiences could lead to a 150 basis-point increase in general merchandise’s contribution to total revenue by FY2027. The Thyme & Table appliance line is expected to support this trajectory, offering both incremental revenue and increased customer lifetime value through product ecosystem integration.

Early consumer sentiment, gathered from online pre-orders and initial retail sales, suggests that the line is resonating strongly with consumers looking for high style without high prices. This positive reception could prompt Walmart to extend similar brand-exclusivity models across other departments, while encouraging Core Home to explore smart appliance innovation or adjacent category extensions.

What’s Next for Thyme & Table and the Consumer Kitchen Tech Space?

With its successful expansion into appliances, Thyme & Table™ is well-positioned to deepen its influence in the consumer kitchen tech landscape. The brand may explore further innovation in smart kitchen devices, such as app-enabled cooking tools, modular systems for multi-purpose use, or IoT-integrated appliances designed for efficiency and personalization. This would align with broader category trends, where connectivity, sustainability, and design increasingly define consumer choice.

For Core Home, the expansion also offers opportunities to explore cross-category synergies—pairing their stylish stoneware with warming bases, or integrating serveware and preparation tools with programmable features. Meanwhile, Walmart is likely to double down on successful exclusives as a way to protect margin and foster customer loyalty in a volatile economic climate. In redefining what accessible luxury looks like in the kitchen appliance sector, Thyme & Table™ and Walmart are not just responding to demand—they are shaping it. This appliance line signals that thoughtful design, smart engineering, and ethical production no longer belong only to high-end boutique brands. With this launch, Thyme & Table makes a clear statement: the future of the kitchen is elegant, efficient, and