Coming soon to Target: The Honest Company

Starting June 15th, an assortment of products from The Honest Company - ranging from diapers and biodegradable wipes to organic skin care and laundry detergent - will be available at Target. 

Co-founded by actress Jessica Alba and former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World Christopher Gavigan, The Honest Company offers non-toxic, eco-friendly and beautiful products that are better for the environment, families and wallets. For more information and a sneak peek of the line, check out this video on A Bullseye View.

 

Coming soon to Target: Poppytalk

The Budget Babe has posted Target's teaser video for their upcoming collaboration with Poppytalk.  As a reminder: Target announced back in February that they were launching party-planning collections with a trio of "top pinners" on Pinterest — Joy Cho of Oh Joy!, Jan Halverson of Poppytalk and Kate Arends of Wit & Delight. The limited-edition collections include party décor, paper products and serving pieces.

Oh Joy! for Target launched in March and seemed to be a sellout (at least at all my local stores) so it'll be interesting to see if Poppytalk follows suit and sells out as well. Poppytalk for Target debuts on June 22nd in all stores and on Target.com.

Target's next designer collab? Altuzarra

This just in! Luxury designer and creative director Joseph Altuzarra will create a limited-edition Fall collection of women’s ready-to-wear, lingerie, accessories and shoes for Target. Altuzarra for Target will be available Sept. 14th at most Target stores in the U.S. and Canada as well as on Target.com.  The collection will include nearly 50 pieces ranging in price from $17.99 - $89.99.

Celebrated for a clever combination of French sophistication and American ease, Altuzarra's designs appeal to refined, independent women like his celebrity devotees Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Bosworth and Cameron Diaz. For a super-short video preview - plus a sketch from Altuzarra showcasing one of his dress designs for Target - check out this post on A Bullseye View.

Consumer Alert: Target recalls Archer Farms Hummus

SFGate reports that Target, Trader Joe's and Giant Eagle are pulling more than 14,000 pounds of hummus and other dips over concerns about a possible listeria contamination.

The distributor - Hot Mama’s Foods of Massachusetts - voluntarily recalled the items, which it ships nationally to Target stores under the Archer Farms label. The company also recalled dips from Trader Joe’s in several states (including California, Oregon and Washington) and from Giant Eagle stores in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

For a complete list of recalled items, visit the recall list on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website. The potential contamination was found during a test of Target Archer Farms Hummus by the Texas Department of Health. No illnesses have been reported, but food contaminated with the bacteria primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms of listeria infection include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

All retailers were notified to remove the potentially contaminated foods. The FDA urges customers who purchased any recalled items to throw them out or return them for a refund. Customers with questions can call (877) 550-0694.

Target Fires President of Its Canadian Operations

Yipes! Just 2 weeks after the abrupt resignation of CEO Gregg Steinhafel, Target has fired the president of its troubled Canadian operations, Tony Fisher, and is replacing him with a 15-year U.S. company veteran.

ABC News reports that Mark Schindele, 45, who was senior vice president of merchandising operations, will now run the Canadian operation. Target's expansion into Canada last year marked its first foray outside the U.S. but it has struggled with weak sales and losses. Schindele has played a key role in launching new store format including an expanded grocery area, as well as Target Express and CityTarget in the U.S. He has also led a global team and provided senior-level oversight to Target's merchandising operations, including systems, global sourcing and product development.

Rushing the Seasons: Extreme Version

I've ranted before about Target rushing the seasons (dating back to this post from 2010) but this takes it to the extreme. Shown here is a rack of turtleneck (turtleneck!!!) sweaters at one of my local Target stores taken 3 days ago. So it's mid-May - not even officially Summer on the calendar yet - and they're already putting out Fall sweaters. Unbelievable...

Double-Take: Furbish vs. Nate Berkus

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Target and match it up against a lookalike (yet pricier) designer piece. Today we're looking at two golden turtle shell figurines, perfect as an accent piece on a desk or end table. But one of them is from Furbish and costs $55, whereas the other is from Nate Berkus for Target and is just $19.99. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

Product Review: Sonia Kashuk Twist Up Longwear Liner

Last month I mentioned I was planning to try Sonia Kashuk's Twist Up Longwear Eyeliner. I did... and overall I'm a fan, although I wouldn't call it "the best eyeliner I've found" (as one review on Target.com dubbed it). It comes in 4 colors - which are hard to peg from the description or packaging - so let me break it down for you:

Black Amber (a dark brown)
Black Diamond (a glittery, smokey grey)
Black Onyx (a true deep black)
Black Tanzanite (an inky purply-blue)

On the colors: I'm torn between the Onyx and the Diamond; the Onyx was too dark and dramatic (for me personally) for everyday use, and the Diamond seems to have silver flecks in it which again seems too "glam" for daily use. But I do love the Black Tanzanite; it's almost a navy but with purple undertones which works well with my brown eyes.

On consistency and wearability: this eyeliner goes on easily and evenly, and blends well. However, it does wear off over time. The "Longwear" part of its name is a misnomer, so if you're looking for an 8-hour liner, this product isn't for you.

Double-Take: Sam & Libby vs. Giambattista Valli

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Target and match it up against a lookalike (but much pricier) designer piece. Today we have two Birkenstock-inspired sandals. Both are slide-style with studded accents on the side. But in addition to one being studded in gold and the other silver, another key difference is that one pair is by Giambattista Valli (via Lyst) and weighs in at a whopping $850, while the other pair is by Sam & Libby (at Target) and is on sale this week for a paltry $23.99 (regularly $29.99). Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

Target, Gap and Lululemon buy first Pinterest ads...

Racked reports that Pinterest is finally rolling out ads, aka "Promoted Pins," on its platform. The first phase of the program is being tested right now in the US. The list of brands selected for the test phase includes Target, Lululemon, and the entire Gap family (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic). "These brands will help us test Promoted Pins to make sure they're tasteful, transparent, relevant and improved based on Pinner feedback— so that Pinterest continues to be a great experience for everyone," writes Joanne Bradford, Pinterest's new head of partnerships. Shown here is a prototype "Promoted Pin" for Old Navy.

Apple/Beats deal won't be good for Target...

According to SFGate, Apple's rumored decision to buy Beats Electronics will not be good for big-box retailers like Target. Target and Best Buy - two big-box chains that have struggled in recent years to inject excitement into the notoriously fickle electronics category - recently struck partnerships with Beats to create special product displays inside their stores. If the acquisition speculation proves true, those deals will likely die, considering Apple is not only a top supplier to Best Buy and Target but also a top retail rival.

How times have changed since the 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, Apple - like any other manufacturer - was forced to sell products in chains because of the size, clout and reach of such retailers. But the late Steve Jobs, a notorious control freak, disliked the way those companies sold his products. Jobs, along with other vendors, resented how big boxes focused more on squeezing profits out of Apple than finding innovative strategies that put his products in consumers' hands.

"I remember going into a room with just me and a group of Target executives, including a senior vice president," said a former electronics sales executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity as to not affect business relationships. "They would say, 'Your price is a little too high,' and then send you out to a waiting room with seven other vendors, whom they told the exact same thing. It was great for Target, not so much for the vendors. Nobody liked it, but that's how the game was played."

So Jobs decided to change the game. With help of former Target executive Ron Johnson, he launched the Apple Store, which reinvented the shopping experience. Out went the checkout lines and employees who spent more time pestering shoppers to buy, buy, buy. In came the Genius Bar and that gorgeous shop architecture. 

Now the big-box world wants to copy Apple and create "unique experiences" for shoppers. As I first reported last October, Target has already remodeled the electronic departments in several of its stores with waist-height, bright white tables and displays — similar in style to Apple stores — to give shoppers more hands-on experience with the products. If the Apple/Beats deal goes through, Beats headphones will be one less product Target will be able to showcase.

Coming Soon: Jeff Canham for Mossimo

Jeff Canham is a talented graphic designer and sign painter who honed his skills as the art director for Surfer magazine. The San Francisco-based artist, who keeps a studio in the Sunset District called The Woodshop, caught Target's eye for his surf-inspired designs. And now The Bullseye has partnered with him to create a limited-edition Summer collection for Mossimo Supply Co.

Debuting May 11th at most Target stores and on Target.com, Jeff designed beachy graphics for everything from tees, tanks and towels to board shorts and beach bags for men and women. I'm especially loving these "Swim/Surf" flipflops (shown here).

Archer Farms gets a makeover...

MyPrivateBrand reports that Target's in-house food and beverage brand Archer Farms has gotten a facelift. I haven't seen the new packaging hit stores yet, but shown here is a side-by-side comparison of the old look vs. the new one. According to Christopher Durham, founder of My Private Brand and VP of retail brands at Theory House, the new design "abandons the Farmhouse look of the last ten years in favor of a fresh, modern, clean brand design" adding "This is a design that evokes everything we have come to expect out of premium tier private brands without falling victim to the clichés."

Durham continues "The Archer Farms logo has also received a makeover and escaped the oval with a well-done mark that has a bit of whimsy in the interlocking serif lettering and a slightly plumper rooster. The old tagline “Tasty Food, Tasty Price” has been updated to “Savor Everyday” and the accompanying packaging photography brings the idea of “Savor” to life."

Breaking News: Target's CEO Resigns

You can read more details here on on USA Today, but in short: Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel has stepped down 5 months after the retailer disclosed a huge pre-Christmas breach in which hackers stole millions of customers' credit- and debit-card records. The theft has badly damaged the store chain's reputation and profits. Steinhafel, a 35-year veteran of the company and chief executive since 2008, also resigned from the board of directors.

The Target board said in a statement that after extensive discussions with Steinhafel that they both "have decided it is the right time for new leadership at Target." The board also said that he "held himself personally accountable." The company's stock fell more than 3 percent today on the news - or $2.14 - to close at $59.87.

Target's Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan was named interim president and CEO while they conduct an external search for a new CEO, hopefully one with international experience to help fix Target's issues with its Canadian stores. Under Steinhafel's leadership, Target was also criticized for reacting too slowly to the shift toward shopping on mobile devices. Target just recently started to let shoppers order items online and pick them up at the store, years later than some competitors.

On the flipside, Steinhafel's tenure Target won praise for its expansion into fresh groceries and its 5% discount for customers who use its branded debit and credit cards. He also was at the helm for the most successful designer-collabs in Target's history, including Missoni, Liberty of London, and Jason Wu.

New at Target: Pacifica Beauty

While Pacifica Beauty isn't exactly "new" to Target (as some quick research on my end shows it's been on shelves for a few months) it IS new to me. You can find it in the skincare aisles of Target alongside Burts Bees and other natural/organic brands. According to the blogosphere, their Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter has quite the following, and fans are happy that Target is now carrying Pacifica as it used to be sold by Sephora but then was phased out. You can check out the entire line of Pacifica Beauty here on Target.com.

New at Target: Young House Love

The other day at Target I noticed an endcap in the Home Improvement section dedicated to products from an outfit called "Young House Love". They also had a book (shown here) and some quick research revealed the title - dubbed "243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love" was penned by husband and wife blogging team of Sherry and John Petersik. Their debut book is filled with hundreds of fun, simple, and budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. And now in collaboration with Target, they have a line of decorative hooks and door knobs, all priced at $14.99 or less.