Kmart move sparks fears for future of Target stores
Aussie shoppers are up in arms after noticing an odd change at Kmart.
Shoppers have shared concerns about the future of Target stores, as pieces from the Aussie retailer have been spotted online on Kmart’s website.
In 2023, Wesfarmers – which owns Kmart and Target – announced the two would be merged into a dual-brand retail giant, with their management becoming one.
Over the last few years, dedicated Target shoppers have become less and less surprised at the sight of an Anko product on its shelves, with the inclusion of Kmart’s homewares and Christmas stock in particular making waves.
But now, some are concerned this shift is making its way into the stores’ apparel sections.
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Content creator Sarah Strozkiy took to TikTok this week to share a few odd finds on the Kmart website.
The products, including a number of dresses and a pair of shorts, all have “Target” in their titles, indicating that they aren’t Kmart products at all.
This is the first time shoppers have seen the integration of the two stores online, and the first time this has occurred with fashion.
This led Ms Strozkiy to wonder if this was the next step in the merger, and how this would impact the stores moving forward.
“I am really curious to know if Kmart will have Target pieces in store, or if Target will start to have Kmart pieces in store,” she said.
Commenters on the post said this was also the first time they were seeing this change.
They were also unsure of what it indicated, but one thing was for sure – everyone had worries.
“I don’t like this, keep it separate,” said one person, bluntly.
“Target clothing has always been better, I hope they don’t go full Kmart,” said another.
“I despise that Target has Kmart stuff now. Target was so much better,” a third agreed.
But, speaking to news.com.au, a Kmart spokesperson said this was not the case at all, and was instead the beginning of Kmart Marketplace.
“As announced in May, Kmart has established an online Marketplace – to give our millions of customers who shop at kmart.com.au each week more choice and more products – and that includes access to Target soft home and apparel,” the spokesperson shared.
“Customers can also still shop Target at www.target.com.au or instore.”
Despite being announced in May, items – including Target clothing, homewares and accessories – are just now starting to be listed on this Marketplace.
When you search for a product on Kmart’s website, an “includes marketplace” tab comes up, and you are able to filter with and without these items.
“Marketplace” and “Target” are under separate tick boxes under “seller”, with other Target subsections like petite and maternity clothing listed under “brand”.
For now, it is understood that the retailer is integrating items slowly, starting with primarily Target products.
But, much more will come in the future, warranting comparisons to online retailers like Temu, Catch, and Big W Market.
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Originally published as Kmart move sparks fears for future of Target stores
