Target buys two online kitchenware chains

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has made two e-commerce acquisitions aimed at expanding its presence in the growing cooking and kitchenware market. The retailer said it has acquired CHEFS Catalog and assets of Cooking.com in two separate transactions.



Following the closings, the two businesses will be combined to create a new, wholly owned subsidiary of Target. Both brands will continue to operate under their current names. Target believes these transactions present a strategic growth opportunity; however, there will not be any meaningful financial impact to its 2013 results.



“We are excited to bring CHEFS and Cooking.com into the Target family,” said Casey Carl, president of multichannel and SVP, enterprise strategy, Target. “We know consumers are increasingly looking online for cooking solutions to make their lives easier – from utensils and cookware, to recipes. These strategic transactions provide us a great way to address this growing opportunity and will offer expanded online options for our guests.”



Tim Littleton, president and chief executive of CHEFS, will be president of the wholly owned subsidiary and will report to Carl. Tracy Randall, chief executive and co-founder of Cooking.com, will become a consultant to Target.



Both transactions are expected to close within 30 days. Financial terms are not being disclosed.