Target or “tar-jey” as its affectionally called amongst millennials, wrapped up a busy August with press releases touting their new owned brand as well as a new partnership with Disney. If you’ve been around the food business for a while, then you probably know that Target has struggled to find itself in the grocery department.

While it has been a millennial hotspot for beauty, clothing, and home, grocery just isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for many Target consumers; but that’s all changing. With the recent launch of its Good & Gather brand, it seems that Target may be finally stepping up to the plate in the grocery aisle. And while it’s too early to tell, this brand seems so on point for them. Combined with their recent partnership with Ship for grocery delivery, we may have a real contender with Amazon.

The other big news for them this month, was the launch of a collaboration with Disney to bring Disney pop-up stores to Target. We’ve certainly seen these store within a store concepts be successful for Target, and I can only think that this one will be as well. Target has a long history of thriving by creating innovative partnerships.

I can’t help but think, could we make this model work for meat?

Target is so good at thinking beyond the typical coupons, promotions and basic merchandising, into strategic short to medium-term partnerships that create a sense of exclusivity that millennials and gen X’ers love. They create an environment where you can’t get that product or partnership anywhere else; which in turn makes people flock to it.

Meat industry partnerships with similar products like grills or alcohol are certainly effective and commonplace, but what if we went bigger and bolder, and thought of partnerships or merchandising/experiential opportunities outside of our current scope?

What if there was some different display in the meat department or an experience, like allowing consumers to cook their meat or grill right there in the meat department? Or what about better leveraging partnerships in fresh like a partnership with a fruit or vegetable supplier like Dole?

With consumer’s desire to eat healthier and fresher, it seems like there are a lot of missed opportunities for partnerships within the huge category of fresh in the supermarket.

Finally, Target has shown us over this past month, that they are ready to mix things up in grocery and in in-store experiences; what are you mixing up in your organization?

The stuff dreams are made of

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