DISCUSSION
Is it a stretch for Target to carry Levi’s pricier red tab jeans?
Written by George Anderson
Photo: Target/Levi Strauss & Co.
Target has sold Levi Strauss’ value-priced Denizen brand jeans in its stores for years. While it doesn’t appear as though that will change, Target is moving up with the addition of Levi’s premium red tab 505 and 511 jeans at 50 stores selected because they are located near college campuses or urban centers that have high customer traffic numbers. The jeans will also be sold nationally online on target.com.
The decision to add the men’s and women’s red tab jeans at select locations follows a successful test of the men’s 505 and 511 denim lines in 20 Target stores during the spring.
“This partnership is a great example of how Target continues to offer a curated assortment of highly relevant and premier national brands like Levi's, while also differentiating ourselves by offering only-at-Target brands that we create just for our guests,” said Mark Tritton, chief marketing officer at Target, in a statement.
The decision to test the higher-priced Levi’s appears to have been close to a no brainer for Target. Levi’s jeans, for example, are among the most searched product terms on the retailer’s website.
Target, also appears, albeit on a smaller scale, to be following a similar script as it did with toys following the demise of Toys “R” Us. In this case, according to a Minneapolis Star Tribune report, Target was able to work out the deal for Levi’s red tab jeans because of the number of stores closed by Sears as part of its bankruptcy.
"Traditionally, Levi's would have turned its nose up at putting its main brands into what they considered a big box," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail and a RetailWire BrainTrust member, told the Star Tribune. "They've always seen department stores as a more premium channel."