One of Australia’s best-selling home and lifestyle brands has just opened its first store in Southeast Asia.
Kmart quietly rebranded itself as ‘Anko’, after one of its local brands, and opened its doors to shoppers in Makati, Philippines, in mid-November.
The store is located at Glorietta 2, Makati City, and shoppers are already loving the discount offer.
Kmart is best known for providing Australians and New Zealanders with fashionable products at affordable prices.
The Makati location features home goods, storage solutions, bedding, beauty products, fitness equipment, pet essentials, kitchen equipment and more.
Several Australians were surprised by the brilliant state of the store.
‘Why is it better than my local Kmart?’ asked one shopper.
“It’s very clean compared to stores in Australia,” one said. A third echoed: “Can’t believe how well stocked, clean and tidy it is.”
One of Australia’s best-selling home and lifestyle brands has just opened its first store in Southeast Asia.
Kmart quietly rebranded itself as ‘Anko’, after one of its local brands, and opened its doors to shoppers in Makati, Philippines, in mid-November.
Australian and international buyers have already shared their five-star reviews.
‘Affordable but good quality!’ —a man shouted.
‘This is nice, go to Kmart. Our Anko rice cooker is still working great since 2018,” said another.
“Three years later, my $14 coffee grinder is still working fine,” said one woman.
Anko, Kmart and Target are owned by Westfarmers, which also owns Bunnings and Officeworks.
The overseas expansion is part of the company’s plan to take Kmart to the next level after the merger.
In 2020, 167 Target stores permanently closed or were converted to Kmarts after the chain suffered a $67 million drop in sales.
The merger came about because operating the two businesses separately made it difficult to improve Target’s use of technology.
Kmart is best known for providing Australians and New Zealanders with fashionable products at affordable prices.
The Makati location features home goods, storage solutions, bedding, beauty products, fitness equipment, pet essentials, kitchen equipment and more.
The closures and conversions reportedly cost the company between $120 million and $170 million.
Another $140 million was used for one-time costs of store conversions and inventory liquidation.
Bailey, who is credited with leading the turnaround in Kmart’s fortunes in recent years, said merging the two outlets into one $10 billion entity will lead to significant cost savings and improved productivity.
Anko Global CEO Arjun Puri said Anko aims to pay tribute to Filipino values and culture.
‘We are delighted to introduce Anko to the Philippines, a country that shares Australia’s deep appreciation for family and home. Anko’s expansion reflects this shared value, offering quality, affordable products to improve everyday life,” said Puri.
Some Filipino shoppers shared their amazement.
‘I love Anko’s t-shirts!’ A man wrote. “I’m so glad they’re here now.”
“I moved to New Zealand a year ago and became obsessed with Kmart – I could have stayed home,” one traveler joked.