Target has become a sort of minimall.
Its stores no longer just host the traditional array of department-store merchandise. Instead, the chain has multiple store-within-a-store concepts and features a number of big-name partnerships.
A customer who visits Target (TGT) -) can grab a drink or a snack from a full-service Starbucks location. The chain also offers Ulta Beauty shops, Walt Disney sections, ministores from Apple and Levi's, as well as a section of the retail giant devoted to Chip and Joanna Gaines's Magnolia brand.
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Recently, Target expanded its relationship with Apple, tripling the number of Apple shops within its stores and bringing special deals for Target Circle loyalty-program members. That includes four free months of Apple Fitness+ as well as special offers on Apple's other subscription services.
"Guests love the branded and immersive retail experiences we're creating with Apple and other partners including Disney, Ulta Beauty, and Levi's," Target Chief Merchandising Officer Jill Sando said in a media release. "With this Apple expansion, we're giving guests even more reasons to choose Target for all their shopping and tech-service needs."
Now, Target is adding another brand to its mix. The chain has added an internet-famous direct-to-consumer brand to 650 of its brick-and-mortar locations and its website.
Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty
Target adds Our Place cookware
Our Place became a well-known cookware brand through its famous Always Pan, a pan designed to be used in multiple ways that enable owners to replace multiple kitchen items. That product has been heavily advertised and has a large social media following.
The company, which also has a partnership with actress Selena Gomez, has a simple mission.
"We believe in the power of home cooking to bring people together. It’s why we create products that make cooking and sharing a meal easier and more joyful," the direct-to-consumer company says on its website. "Our products are designed for how we live and celebrate making (and breaking) traditions with family: given, chosen, and found."
Partnering with Target greatly expands the company's reach and enables people to handle its products before buying them. The company does not define itself fully as a cookware brand.
"Sure, we make things for your kitchen, but we’re not a kitchenware brand. Everything we do is rooted in bringing people together. It just so happens one of the best and most authentic ways to do that is over a home-cooked meal," the company posted.
Target follows Amazon and Nordstrom
Our Place has also recently partnered with Amazon (AMZN) -) to bring some of its products to the online giant. The Target deal, however, brings the company to a mass-market retailer. Our Place also has a deal with Nordstrom where it's sold in the chain's stores, but the Target deal gives it mass-market reach.
“Despite this expansion, Our Place sales are still over 90% direct to consumer,” Co-Founder Shiza Shahid said in an email to Retail Dive. Shahid added that “while wholesale is a growing part of our brand,” it hopes to bring its sustainable and toxin-free products wherever they shop.
In addition to its pans, Our Place also sells a line of appliances. The Dream Cooker, for example, is sort of a cross between a rice cooker, a pressure cooker, and a Crock-Pot.
"It’s the multicooker of your dreams. Make fork-tender meats, fluffy whole grains, flavor-rich broths, all in record time with its ultra-efficient, pressurized powers," the company said on the web page selling the $250 device.
In addition, Our Place offers a $195 Wonder Over, which it calls a "conveniently-sized, countertop-worthy appliance that can air fry, bake, roast, toast, reheat, and broil – all with our steam infusion technology for crispy exteriors and soft, moist interiors."
