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Target now selling thousands of products on Catch

One year after acquiring Catch for $230 million, Wesfarmers has taken another step towards integrating the e-commerce site more fully into its department store division.

From Monday, July 6, thousands of products from Target Australia will be available for purchase on Catch’s online marketplace, including men’s, women’s and children’s fashion, homewares and toys.

Marina Joanou, managing director of Target Australia, described the move as a “significant opportunity” to grow the department store’s digital presence and reach more customers.

“This Kmart Group initiative reflects Target’s vision of inspiring families to live better by making it easier for them to afford quality and style,” Joanou said in a media release.

Kmart Group comprises Target Australia, Kmart and Catch and is run by Ian Bailey.

Target’s shrinking store network

Target’s e-commerce expansion comes as Wesfarmers downsizes the retailer’s store network.

The company recently announced plans to convert between 10 and 40 large-format Target stores to Kmart stores, 52 Target Country stores to small-format Kmart stores.

Additionally, it will close between 10 and 25 large-format Target stores and 50 Target Country stores not suitable for conversion, following a review of the struggling chain.

The partnership with Catch could help soften the impact of these store closures on sales.

Peter Sauerborn, managing director of Catch, said the addition of Target products is just one more reason for consumers to shop with the online retailer, which has built a reputation for offering name brands at steep discounts.

“With millions of products already available on Catch, the addition of Target’s latest apparel, kids and baby ranges, as well as homewares, toys and everything in between, is just another great reason for shoppers to make Catch.com.au their online shopping destination,” Sauerborn said in a media release.

He hinted at the partnership in an interview with Inside Retail in May, saying Catch could benefit from the “great brands” Wesfarmers has in its portfolio.

Target Australia’s GM of digital, Mark Scatena, said the product offering on Catch will evolve over time.

He also confirmed that Target Australia closed its digital storefront on eBay Australia around the time Wesfarmers acquired Catch.

“Whilst Target had a positive working relationship with eBay for some time, Target’s partnership with eBay ceased at the end of the 2019 financial year,” Scatera told Inside Retail.

The launch of Target products on Catch is just the latest integration between the two companies.

In November last year, Wesfarmers extended free shipping for online orders over $45 from Kmart and Target to Club Catch members, and opened a Catch pop-up in the Target store at Melbourne’s Highpoint shopping centre.

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