Target to bring Archer Farms, Market Pantry to Canada
With the panache you might expect of a company sometimes described as a “master marketer,” Target on Thursday unveiled which of its private brands and exclusive collections will be available at Canadian stores, set to open in March.
The lineup will include Archer Farms and Market Pantry, food brands from its American stores, as well as Up & Up, its household and personal-care label.
According to Morne VanWyk, head of grocery and beauty for Target Canada, Archer Farms is a premium, yet affordable brand that “covers an array of delicious foods from premium groceries to cooking ingredients.”
Market Pantry, the company’s value brand, carries over 1,000 product offerings, “from food staples such as eggs and cheese to snack options.”
VanWyk did not share specific details about Target’s assortment for groceries in Canada, including whether or not stores will carry fresh food. He also did not divulge whether every product in the Market Pantry/Archer Farms lineups will be available to Canadians.
But he said by and large, the selection of Target brands in Canadian stores will be "pretty much the same" as in American stores. "There will be some nuances," he explained, since the former Zellers stores Target is taking over are slightly smaller than Target's standard U.S. outlets.
Target's Up & Up brand, artfully displayed at Thursday’s presentation (see below), is the company’s household products brand, covering everything from glass cleaner and vitamins to garbage bags and razors.
Target also revealed it will carry Pixi, an exclusive makeup line with prices ranging from $8.00 to $40.00, and the Sonia Kashuk collection, with prices from $1.99 to $39.99.
Prices for Target’s food products were not disclosed, but VanWyk noted that food will be a “key part” of the company’s strategy from the moment it swings open its store doors.
The presentation, designed to stoke consumer excitement, took place at Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto.
The event featured guest appearances by some of Target’s most famous collaborators. Among them was Nate Berkus, an interior designer and former Oprah contributor, whose bed, bath and decor line will join Target on its cross-border trip, and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, whose exclusive line of cookware will also be sold in Canada.
It also featured an ice dance performance, with models donning Target's cheap chic dresses and handbags. A flourish of Canadiana for the crowd of reporters.