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Target has added baby and toddler products to its Good & Gather private-label food brand, the retailer said Monday. The Good & Gather Baby and Good & Gather Toddler lines feature food items created especially for those age groups.
The expanded assortment includes yogurt bites, bars and teething biscuits. Target engaged with its team of food and culinary scientists to ensure the new products are developmentally appropriate and appealing to kids’ taste buds.
“For generations, parents have turned to Target to help them care for their children — and I’m excited that we’re building on that legacy in food and beverage with the launch of Good & Gather Baby and Good & Gather Toddler,” Rick Gomez, Target’s chief food and beverage officer, said in an announcement.
Target launched the Good & Gather brand four years ago. It replaced two previous private-label brands, Archer Farms and Simply Balanced. At the time of Good & Gather’s launch, Target said it planned to eventually offer more than 2,000 products under the Good & Gather label. In 2020, the retailer added a line of premium products, and in 2021, Target further expanded the label with the addition of plant-based foods.
Most of the new baby and toddler food items will retail for under $5, Target said. And Target says all of its Good & Gather products are made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup.
Target reported nearly $23 billion in food and beverage revenue in 2022. That figure includes dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, produce and in-store food service. Food and beverage sales represented 21% of sales last year and the segment was the retailer’s second largest, after beauty and household essentials. Approximately one-third of Target’s sales come from owned and exclusive brands, the company said in its annual report.
During an earnings call last week, Target’s executive leadership echoed what many other retailers are saying – consumers continue to feel pressured by inflation. And in the face of that pressure, they are pulling back on discretionary spending in favor of essentials, like food.
“At the moment, given where the consumer is spending, we’re, of course, leaning on the strength of our food and beverage portfolio and essentials and beauty, with beauty really being a highlight with double-digit growth, both in Ulta Beauty at Target as well as our core business,” Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer, said on the call, according to a transcript.
Along with the baby and toddler food assortment, Target also recently expanded the lineup with an offering of new lunchbox-sized Good & Gather items just in time for the back-to-school season, Hennington said. She also noted that Target recently relaunched its Threshold home brand and that it plans to launch a kitchenware brand during the third quarter.
Looking ahead, Hennington said Target’s approach is “really taking advantage of the opportunities where guests can do more in one store at Target. And that happens during those seasonal times where we can leverage both the strength of food and beverage, as well as home or apparel to complete the trip.”
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