Target is accelerating the lingerie wars with bras that cost under $22
- Target has launched three new low-cost and body-inclusive underwear and sleepwear brands.
- Auden, the underwear and bra brand, will offer over 200 bras in more than 40 styles and more than 200 underwear options in 50 styles for under $22.
- The retailer is following in the footsteps of other disruptors in the underwear market that are taking on longtime industry leader Victoria's Secret.
Competition is heating up in the underwear market.
On Monday, Target announced that it would be launching three new private-label brands - Auden, Stars Above, and Colsie - which offer low-cost and size-inclusive underwear and sleepwear. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news on Sunday.
Sizes range between XS and 4X for underwear and sleepwear and from 32AA to 46G for bras. Auden will offer bras and underwear, while Stars Above and Colsie offer sleepwear and loungewear.
The 1,850-store chain is following in the footsteps of ThirdLove, Lively, and American Eagle's Aerie, which are shaking up the underwear market and homing in on long-time industry leader Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness with more sizes and body-positive campaigns.
Read more: ThirdLove is homing in on Victoria's Secret's biggest weakness
"From new brands and experiences, to a campaign that celebrates that women come in all different shapes and sizes, we want to create the ultimate destination for our guests-one that's inviting and inspiring and allows all women to feel comfortable and confident," Jill Sando, senior vice president of home merchandising at Target, said in a press release.
Target will be offering a quiz for online shoppers to find their perfect fit. This tool is particularly reminiscent of online-only brand ThirdLove, which describes its quiz as being one of its greatest assets because it offers a large pool of data on how women shop and what size they wear. It says that more than 12 million women have taken the quiz.
Given that Target has the benefit of having a large physical store presence in the US, it is likely to put pressure on these online-only brands.
What's more, Target is also more competitive on price and has a larger assortment. Auden offers 200 bras in more than 40 styles and more than 200 underwear options in 50 styles. Prices across its three brands range from $4.99 to $29.99, with all bras costing under $22.
For comparison, a bra at ThirdLove starts at $68, while a push-up bra at Victoria's Secret costs $64.95 and a bralette $19.95.
Target told The Journal that more than 40% of its new bras will be wire-free. In recent years, this style has become more popular than the underwire bra, a style that Victoria's Secret is best known for. The Journal cited recent data from The NPD Group, which found that sales of wire-free bras grew 10% in 2018 while underwire bra sales declined 8%.
Target's private label business has become one of the most successful areas of the business and one of the main reasons that customers shop there. These brands are a way to differentiate Target and boost profit margins while still being able to offer customers affordable prices.