Target Australia
| File:Target Logo.png | |
| Company type | Discount Department Store/Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. |
| Website | http://www.target.com.au/ |
Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian company that operates over 350 Target department stores in its chain. It is owned by Coles Group and its head office is located in North Geelong, Australia. It sells clothing, cosmetics, toys, homewares, electrical and electronics goods. Rights to the Target Logo and name were granted to Myer Emporium Ltd. (now Coles Group), by the Dayton Hudson Corporation (now known as Target Corporation). Target Corporation is the worldwide trademark owner of the Target logo and name with respect to retail stores. The small difference in the name is the use of lower case letters in the name versus all upper case in the United States, and the addition of a full stop at the end.
History
In 1925, George Lindsay and Alex McKenzie started to launch stores across Victoria that sold dress fabrics, manchester and furnishings, with the first one in Geelong. They had a policy, (which is still used now) "Half the Profit, Twice the Turnover". By 1968, they had 14 stores across Victoria. Later that year, Myer Emporium Ltd (now Coles Myer), bought it with the idea of re-inventing the chain as a "discount department store" and the company was subsequently renamed Lindsay's Target Pty Ltd. In March 1973, it was renamed again, into, Target Australia Pty Ltd. In August 1985, the Myer Emporium Ltd and GJ Coles & Coy Ltd merged, becoming the largest Australian Corporation - Coles-Myer Ltd (see Coles Myer). In 1996, Target Australia and Fosseys merged together, and their first speciality store Baby Target was born. Then in 1998, their second speciality store, Target Home opened. All Fosseys stores were later re-named Target Country, which became the third specialty store.
In 2001 Target Australia announced its first ever loss, to the sum of $43m. New Senior management was put in place, and Target has since repositioned itself in the market from a discount department store (competing with Coles Myer stablemate Kmart and Woolworths Limited's Big W), to a stylish, value-for-money alternative to a selective store. Store fittings and layouts have been altered, and Target now competes with retailers such as Jeans West, Sportsgirl, and various other specialty stores targeted at the teenage, to early thirties market. Target's current MD is Launa Inman, who took out the title of Telstra Business Women of the Year in 2003, a result of her achievements as an apparel retail buyer for the company. Her position saw Target's $32 million loss at the end of 2000 into a $68 million profit 18 months later.
Baby Target
Baby Target stores started appearing in 1996 as Target's first speciality store. They sell numerous baby-related products.
The concept was not as successful as Target had anticipated, and only two Baby Target stores still operate (one in Victoria at Northland, Preston and the other in Golden Grove, South Australia).
Target Country
In 1999, Fosseys stores were turned into a new type of Target Store, Target Country. Target Country stores are located in rural areas and are just like regular Target stores, except smaller. It is Target's third speciality store. As of 2006, there are 104 Target Country stores throughout Australia.
Fosseys
Fosseys was established in 1926 at George Street, Sydney by Alfred Bristow Fossey, which the store was named after. It became a household name in Australia and grew to 148 stores throughout Australia before merging with Target in 1996, which resulted in the revamp of Fosseys stores to a new store design and became focused on providing family apparel and homewares. At the same time, it introduced Fosseys-branded merchandise brand attributes of value, convenience and confidence. However, by 1999, all Fosseys stores located close to Target stores were shut down and the remaining Fosseys stores became Target Country stores.[1]
Departments
Target Australia stores contain the following departments:
- Ladieswear
- Menswear
- Childrenswear
- Cosmetics (Known in-store as TCF - Toiletries, Cosmetics and Fragrances)
- Sound (CDs, DVDs, Console Games, Cameras, Phones)
- Electrical
- Toys
- Sporting
- Browngoods
- Home Decorator
- (Outdoor) Furniture
- Manchester
- Confectionery
- Outdoor
- Homewares (such as kitchenware)
- Nursery
Services
Target Australia provides the following services for their customers:
- Shopping trolleys
- Layby
- Rainchecks (On catalogue items only, does not apply if "no raincheck" is specified)
- Price Check Points
- Parcel Pick-Up
- Home Delivery (service fee applies)
- Inter-store Transfers (limitations apply)
- Gift cards (Target exclusive & Coles Group)
Layby
Target operates a Layby service in all stores. In-store, a Layby "type" details packing procedures, duration and the appropriate financial contributions.
Normal: During non-event times, a "Normal" Layby is the preferred method. The customer is entitled to an 8-week Layby term. Upon commencement of the Layby term, a customer is required to pay a AU$2.50 Service Fee, to cover administrative costs and to finance 10% of the total Layby cost. Extensions and special terms are subject to negotiation with the Store Manager, Operations Manager or the respective Register or Layby Supervisors.
Raincheck: In accordance with government requirements, Target offers the Raincheck service, which allows the customer to leave their desire for unavailable stock with the store, and, upon its dispatch from the respective Target Distribution Centre, the customer is notified via post. The customer is not required to pay for this service and no fees are charged by the store.
Bulky, Designer, X-mas and staff are the other layby options.
Motto
Target's marketing strategy employs the catch-cry "100% Happy". This is featured in-store and in advertising to the present day. Previously, the company used "We're Not Happy, Unless You Are", after "Target - for Fashion, Quality and Value".
Annual sales
Target has two major sales a year; its annual "Massive Home Sale" and the popular "Toy Sale" (which was previously marketed as "Australia's Biggest Toy Sale", but there was no way to validate this claim so it had to be removed) which is always held during July. Seasonal launches such as the "Denim Nation" and "Free Fusion" campaigns for clothing are also undertaken throughout the year. Target's Boxing Day sales have also become increasingly popular in recent years.
Designers For Target
In March 2007, the exclusive Australian launch of the Stella McCartney designer collection, was heralded as one of the biggest retail coups of the year. Target successfully rallied Stella McCartney to design a 42-piece winter collection. Together, they collaborated for the successful rollout of the range on 12 March 2007. The Australian news media ran stories on the frenzied rushes into Target stores on the morning of the launch. Many television networks leading their newscasts with live vision. A number of metropolitan stores had sold out of the range as soon as 10 minutes after opening. The Stella McCartney range is expected to stay in stores for up to one month, before a rollout of the next "Designers For Target" range is to be undertaken.
Pronunciation of the name
The name of the store is pronounced by some in a tongue-in-cheek manner as tah-ZHAY (IPA: [tʰaː.ˈʒæɪ]) because "French" clothing is perceived as "fashionable," although if it were actually a French name, a proper Francophone pronunciation would be tarh-ZHEH (IPA: [taʁ.ˈʒe]), with a uvular 'r' and an unaspirated 't'.
References
- "Taking care of business a winner for women", The Age, October 26, 2003.
- "Want that one: Target reaps rewards of marketing coup", The Age, March 13, 2007.