The design is the latest step in Target’s journey towards reconciliation and their commitment to celebrating First Nation culture
Tuesday 22 October 2024 – Reflecting Target’s ongoing commitment to First Nations community engagement, Target Australia have today unveiled a new First Nations design that will be on display throughout their Deadly* Store Network, as the latest step in their ongoing commitment to building strong and meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities and businesses right around Australia.
The design, titled ‘Family Tides of Unity', is a visual representation of Target’s journey towards creating safe and welcoming spaces for everyone in the community. It was proudly created for Target by several young Indigenous designers from Indigenous Design Labs based in Cairns, with support from First Nations design and creative agency ingeous studios.
A natural extension of Target’s Deadly Stores program and commitment to cascading pillars of the Wesfarmers Elevated Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), ‘Family Tides of Unity’ acknowledges, supports and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures, and will be seen not only across the brand’s Deadly Store Network, but across a number of internal and external communications. Launched at the Target Cairns City store in Far North Queensland today, Target Cairns will act as the pilot store for showcasing the artwork among Target’s Deadly Store Network of 36 stores.
Operating nationally, Target’s Deadly Store Network is designed to boost cultural awareness and strengthen community connection by creating a safe space for team members and customers alike, as well as using the store network as a vehicle for driving Indigenous employment and career pathways. The program achieves this by providing specialised training to all team members alongside a strong focus on activating local partnerships in order to strengthen ties with community.
Target has achieved 3.7 per cent Indigenous representation across its employment metrics. Kmart Group which includes both Kmart & Target Australia employs over 2200 First Nations team members representing 4.8 per cent of all team members, making the Group one of Australia’s largest employers of Indigenous Australians - with initiatives like its Deadly Stores program as a key driver.
According to Target’s Chief People and Capability Officer, Tristram Gray, it’s this unique network of Deadly Stores that has been critical to achieving this – both at Target and at its sister brand, Kmart. “At Target, we're committed to being a trusted partner of First Nations peoples, and our Deadly Store Network is an incredibly important part of our strategy in this space. Our stores are designed to be culturally safe spaces, both for our customers and our team members, and this incredible project with local youth in Cairns helps us bring that connection to life,” he said.
“With our national reach, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate Indigenous culture, by sharing positive stories across our stores to inspire and educate customers and team members and having open pathways to creating meaningful employment. These elements are key to creating a lasting positive impact, for individuals, their families and communities.”
With collaboration at the heart of Indigenous partnerships at Target, it was important for the business to ensure the design upheld cultural integrity, with deep respect for the colours, symbols, and meaning behind the designs.
Speaking of the collaboration with Target, Indigenous Design Labs Co-Founder and ingeous studios Director, Leigh Harris says, “It's rare for regional creatives in Australia to have the chance to design for major companies, which made it especially meaningful for the aspiring young designers from Indigenous Design Labs to create a unique piece that captures Target’s Reconciliation journey.
This design brings First Nations cultures into their stores across Australia, creating something we can all take pride in and that people who shop at Target can enjoy every day.”
The design itself includes elements of knowledge sharing and healing, alongside the eight Reconciliation pillars: institutional acceptance, relationships, race relations, historical acceptance, equality, equity, respect, unity, and opportunity. In true Target style, the family icon is at the heart of the design, reflecting Target's commitment to improving the lives of families across Australia.
*'Deadly' is an Aboriginal English word and means different things to different people, it is the ultimate compliment, often meaning awesome, cool, great, fantastic, wonderful.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACTS
Grace Kerr | Kmart Group Corporate Affairs Manager
E: grace.kerr@kmart.com.au
P: +61 429 924 627
About Target
At Target, we’re on a relentless mission to make great quality products truly affordable for Australian families. Products that really make a difference, at prices that won’t cost the earth. So, every time you wear them, wash them, look at them, touch them and use them, you feel the satisfaction of knowing we’ve made sure they stand up to the test of everyday family life. Because that’s what you expect from Target. That’s Target.
Target are proud to be a part of hundreds of communities across Australia offering a seamless shopping experience in-store and across their digitally enabled platforms including click and collect, target.com.au and the Target app to ensure ease and accessibility across every touchpoint of the brand.
Website: https://www.target.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/targetaus/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@target_aus
About the Kmart & Target Deadly Stores program:
At Target we are on a journey to not only create a culturally safe place for our team members and our customers to shop, but also actively create pathways to meaningful employment within First Nations communities right around Australia. A big part of how we do this is through our Deadly Store Network which consists of over 30 Target stores across Australia.
Deadly Stores are situated in areas with high representation of First Nations peoples and are designated stores designed to not only increase cultural awareness and connection to better serve our customers, but also provide a vehicle for delivering dedicated Indigenous employment impact and outcomes.
To achieve our aims, partnership with local First Nations communities is key, with all our Deadly Stores cultivating active relationships with community partners to create a strong focus on ensuring team members and customers feel culturally safe when in our store.
To create this, we commit to the following in our Deadly Store Network:
Representation of First Nations team members exceeds local community parity.
Compulsory and extensive cultural awareness and confidence training for all team members.
Active local community partnerships in place, including participation in local community events.
Active development and nurturing of First Nations team members to support pathways to Indigenous leadership programs.
More information is available here.
About Indige Design Labs and ingeous studios:
Indige Design Labs specialises in creating culturally significant designs that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Their work integrates traditional art and narratives into public and private spaces, fostering cultural understanding and connection. Its purpose is to provide young Indigenous Creatives with skills and experience in creative industries.
For more information, visit https://indigedesignlabs.com.au/
igneous studios specialises in crafting contemporary First Nations designs that carry profound meaning, aligning seamlessly with your brand and our rich cultural heritage.
With a legacy spanning 25 years, it has assisted over 300 businesses and organisations in sharing their narratives through modern Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander design and creatives.
For more information, visit https://ingeousstudios.com/
Contact details:
Rachael Koh
rachael.koh@edelman.com
