Whole Foods, Target Launch New Retail Partnerships

In the latest iteration of the increasing role partnerships are playing in the world of retail, Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market has teamed up with Packed Party to offer shoppers an exclusive collection of entertaining accessories and goods at its stores across the country. 

The alliance will position the global grocer to become a one-stop shop for celebrations both big and small as Packed Party becomes its first national vendor for party supplies.

“We're excited to welcome Packed Party, another Austin-based brand, to stores across the country,” Marissa Norden, category merchant of card and party for Whole Foods Market, said in a release. “We're proud to partner with this woman-owned company to make the entertaining experience more convenient and fun for our shoppers.”

From a mix of modern and colorful disposable dining sets to playful party accessories such as decorative banners, confetti, cupcake kits, mini party hats and more, the new Packed Party sections will offer a collection of more than 30 products exclusively designed for Whole Foods Market. With prices ranging from $4.95 to $9.95, the affordable line of recyclable products features patterns and Pantone colors that play well together and can be mixed and matched with ease.

The idea for the partnership sparked when Packed Party founder and CEO Jordan Jones was picking up items for a last-minute gathering and noticed the opportunity to create a one-stop shopping experience for Whole Foods Market customers. “The designs were thoughtfully created with the idea that any gathering is an excuse to celebrate,” Jones said in a release. “We wanted to give Whole Foods Market shoppers something new, exciting and accessible. Our goal was to create an experience where customers could mix and match all the products in the collection and design their own Packed Party.”

In addition to the exclusively designed products, a small assortment of Packed Party items from its existing collections will be available for purchase at Whole Foods Market's flagship store in Austin, including home and office supplies, party accessories and drinkware.

In other retail/brand partner news, Target Corp. and Walt Disney Co. embarked on a new retail collaboration to bring 750-square-foot “shop-in-shop” boutiques to 25 Target stores nationwide beginning Oct. 4, with 40 additional locations opening by October 2020. The Disney shops will be strategically located inside Target stores adjacent to kids clothing and toys, and will also be replicated online at Target.com/Disneystore.

The collaboration encompasses experiential retail and merchandising and will feature an enhanced assortment of more than 450 items, including more than 100 products that were previously only available at Disney retail locations.

Additionally, Target will open a new store at Flamingo Crossings Town Center at the western entrance of the Walt Disney World Resort in 2021, which the Minneapolis-based retailer said will "bring the convenience of Target shopping to Disney park guests" in tandem with their shared "strong guest overlap with a focus on families."