Anko is Kmart Australia's private label brand, standing for "A New Kind Of," representing a transformation in their product offerings, while also evolving from previous "&Co" brands like Home&Co, Clothing&Co, and Kids&Co, with the 'k' paying homage to Kmart. It signifies affordable, stylish home and family products, and the name also serves as a nod to Kmart's origins.
Anko is owned by Wesfarmers, the Australian conglomerate that also owns Kmart Australia and Target Australia, with Anko serving as the private-label brand for Kmart and growing into its own global product business, Anko Global. Wesfarmers operates Anko as part of the Kmart Group and is expanding it internationally as a distinct brand.
We had a chat to Kmart about what the big red K stands for and they told news.com.au that officially the K doesn't stand for anything and the brand has only ever read in Australia as “Kmart”. “We trademarked the Kmart name back in 1969.
Anko is so cheap because it's Kmart Australia's house brand (a private label) that controls costs through large-scale production, direct deals with Asian manufacturers (like in China, Bangladesh, India), minimizing overheads, and focusing on high-volume, low-margin goods to drive overall sales, making it a value-focused brand. By handling design and manufacturing relationships directly, Anko passes savings to customers, leveraging economies of scale to keep prices low.
Anko. Anko is Kmart Australia's house brand: an evolution of the “&Co” branding it had previously used for individual departments such as “Kids&Co”, “Home&Co” and “Clothing&Co”.
Target sells Anko products because of a strategic decision by its parent company, Wesfarmers (which also owns Kmart), to combat rising living costs by offering more affordable options, leveraging the success of Anko's budget-friendly homewares and toys, and to create cost efficiencies by merging some operations with Kmart, though it's a controversial move that has upset some loyal Target customers seeking higher-end goods.
Anko is the in-house product development brand for Australian retailers Kmart and Target, known for offering trendy, affordable home and lifestyle products, from toys and tech to beauty and decor, with a focus on value and modern design, and is expanding globally. The name is an evolution of Kmart's older "&Co" branding and also stands for "A New Kind Of," reflecting their strategy to provide innovative, budget-friendly goods.
Yes and no. Anko products keep surprising us, often rivalling – or even outperforming – the big brands in our tests. But while some Anko buys deliver premium performance at low prices, others aren't really worth the (admittedly small) price.
With high protein content, low fat levels, and a nutritionally well-balanced profile, azuki sweets could be considered healthy sweet treats. Anko, also known as red bean paste, is a sweet paste made from adzuki beans that is commonly used in Japanese cuisine as a filling for various sweets and desserts.
JB Hi-Fi stands for John Barbuto, the founder, and Hi-Fi, short for High Fidelity, reflecting the company's origin as a specialist store for high-quality audio equipment and recorded music when John Barbuto started it in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia.
No, Bunnings doesn't own Kmart; instead, both iconic Australian retailers are owned by the same parent company, the retail conglomerate Wesfarmers, which also owns other brands like Officeworks and Target. They are part of the larger Wesfarmers Kmart Group, operating under the same corporate umbrella.
David Jones opened in 1838 in Sydney and is not only Australia's oldest department store. It's the oldest department store in the world still operating with the original name. The world! Walking into the store was like walking into a palace or castle.
Anko products are mainly made across key sourcing markets, mainly in Asia, including China, Bangladesh and India, as well as emerging sourcing destinations such as Vietnam, among others. Anko often shares factories with major US and European brands and retailers and can source some products from local suppliers.
Yes, Kmart still exists in the US, but its presence is minimal, with only a handful of locations left, including one small store in mainland Florida and others in U.S. territories like the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, a significant decline from its peak. While the U.S. Kmart is struggling, the brand is thriving in Australia, which is a completely separate entity, note 7NEWS and Business Insider.
Before it became TK Maxx in Australia, the chain of stores was known as Trade Secret, an off-price retailer acquired by TJX (the parent company of TK Maxx) in 2015 and rebranded in 2017 to align with the global TK Maxx brand.
Anko is now the company's own brand and product development arm also tasked with expansion into new overseas markets. The name is also an abbreviation of Kmart's previous “&Co” branding, As well as being an acronym for “A New Kind Of”.
Red bean paste (traditional Chinese: 豆沙/紅豆沙; simplified Chinese: 豆沙/红豆沙; Japanese: あんこ or 小豆餡; Korean: 팥소) or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or anko (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine.
Anko is proud of its Australian heritage, and we have been Australia and New Zealand's leading home and lifestyle brand for many years, with over 1 billion products sold each year.
Anko is so cheap because it's Kmart Australia's house brand (a private label) that controls costs through large-scale production, direct deals with Asian manufacturers (like in China, Bangladesh, India), minimizing overheads, and focusing on high-volume, low-margin goods to drive overall sales, making it a value-focused brand. By handling design and manufacturing relationships directly, Anko passes savings to customers, leveraging economies of scale to keep prices low.
Yes, Anko (Kmart/Target) air fryers are generally considered worth buying for budget-conscious individuals or small households due to their low price, ease of use, and decent performance for basic tasks like crisping frozen foods, but be aware that some models might have smaller capacities than advertised, potential durability issues with non-stick coatings over time, and safety concerns with heat leakage in certain designs, making them great value but not always premium or long-lasting appliances, with lining the basket often recommended.
Target sells Anko products because of a strategic decision by its parent company, Wesfarmers (which also owns Kmart), to combat rising living costs by offering more affordable options, leveraging the success of Anko's budget-friendly homewares and toys, and to create cost efficiencies by merging some operations with Kmart, though it's a controversial move that has upset some loyal Target customers seeking higher-end goods.
Anko is owned by Wesfarmers, the Australian conglomerate that also owns Kmart Australia and Target Australia, with Anko serving as the private-label brand for Kmart and growing into its own global product business, Anko Global. Wesfarmers operates Anko as part of the Kmart Group and is expanding it internationally as a distinct brand.
There are two types of anko: Tsubu-an, which is made by cooking adzuki beans so as not to crush the grains, and koshi-an, which is cooked adzuki paste with the outer skin removed. Besides "wagashi", it is also used as an ingredient of the popular Japanese bread "Anpan" (sweet bread with anko inside of it).
あんこ anko 【 餡こ ·餡子 】 餡子 Kanji. (n) red bean paste; red bean jam; anko. filling (e.g. of a manjuu) →Related words: 饅頭