Target has always made its home category a top priority, tapping design industry heavyweights from Thomas O’Brien and Nate Berkus to Justina Blakeney for collaborations on bedding, decor and furniture. But perhaps no collection the retailer has dreamed up has had the broad range of Hearth & Hand With Magnolia, the seemingly all-encompassing line from Chip and Joanna Gaines. Last week, Target announced that it was nearly doubling the number of products in the collection, bringing the total number of SKUs to over 500.
“From the moment we debuted Hearth & Hand With Magnolia in 2017, our guests fell in love with Chip and Joanna’s elegant, effortless style and Target’s accessible design and incredible value,” said Cara Sylvester, Target senior vice president of home, in a statement. “It’s been a wildly successful addition to Target’s strong owned-brand portfolio, and we’re constantly refreshing the assortment and adding new categories, like bedding and furniture, to bring guests—and loyal Chip and Joanna fans—back for more.”
The Gaines’s farmhouse chic aesthetic, popularized on their hit HGTV show Fixer Upper, permeates every corner of their comprehensive Target collection. There are ticking stripes, wood-accented objets and signs with warm, folksy sentiments like “Expect good things.” Joanna’s style has evolved a bit from her shiplap-happy TV decorating days (the show aired its last season in 2018), and the new line features clear Scandinavian and Shaker influences. The collection also offers a wide array of price points, starting at $1.99 for paper napkins and nearing $400 for furniture.
“It's no surprise Target is expanding the Magnolia program—it’s working,” says Business of Home’s Retail Watch columnist Warren Shoulberg. “Target has executed the program quite well in its stores, and the products themselves are terrific.”
As a testament to the line’s success, Target is dedicating a significant amount of floor and shelf space to the collection, with 600 stores across the country set to feature a large, built-out display in the shape of a house, in addition to several adjacent aisles reserved for Hearth & Hand. “We’ve learned that our guests are especially inspired by shopping in-store, where they can touch and feel the products and envision the pieces in their own homes,” says Sylvester. “That’s why we’re so excited to nearly double our in-store assortment this month, creating an even bolder, more inspiring destination for our guests—ultimately helping them bring cozy, comfortable vibes home.”
The growth of the Gaines’s empire has not slowed since they went off the air two years ago. Since then, the duo have launched a magazine, a paint line and multiple books. Coming this fall, their own Magnolia TV network will debut. A joint venture with Discovery, Magnolia TV will feature a dozen shows, ranging from home improvement to cooking—including a few starring Chip and Joanna.
One thing’s for sure: The expansion of the Gaines’s brand is nothing but good news for Target. As Shoulberg puts it: “This shows the power of the Magnolia franchise—and Target’s ability to merchandise it.”
Homepage photo: Courtesy of Target Home
