{"id":709799,"date":"2026-06-02T06:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/709799\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T06:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:14:11","slug":"discount-giant-kmart-launches-war-on-ikea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/709799\/","title":{"rendered":"Discount giant Kmart launches war on Ikea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83059\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/capi_dd0c83cd3716d2999eb93b7c3123de41_319e8481d6291f3abbc1a2fb67598dea-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-capiid=\"319e8481d6291f3abbc1a2fb67598dea\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83059\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-83059\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kmart is opening its first standalone K Home store at Box Hill South in Melbourne\u2019s east, in a move experts say could put the discount giant up against Ikea, Amart and Freedom. Picture: LinkedIn<\/p>\n<p>Cult discount giant Kmart is launching a standalone home store in a move experts say could put it up against Ikea, Amart Furniture and Freedom.<\/p>\n<p>The Wesfarmers-owned retailer will open its first K Home concept at Box Hill South in Melbourne\u2019s east on June 18, with the majority of items not available from regular Kmart outlets.<\/p>\n<p>The trial store will feature larger furniture, curated displays and room-based inspiration as Kmart tests whether its popular home range can work as a separate retail format.<br \/>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/real-estate\/national\/inside-the-nations-record-248-trillion-mortgage-gamble\/news-story\/b863679d71d9e4587256b1f52f4d789e?campaignType=external&amp;campaignChannel=syndication&amp;campaignName=ncacont&amp;campaignContent=&amp;campaignSource=herald_sun&amp;campaignPlacement=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">$2.48 trillion Aus mortgage gamble revealed<br \/>Aussie builders raise alarm on housing future<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/real-estate\/victoria\/victorias-broken-rental-system-38573-landlords-seek-resolution\/news-story\/44b199b441e82818a636096396833d26?campaignType=external&amp;campaignChannel=syndication&amp;campaignName=ncacont&amp;campaignContent=&amp;campaignSource=herald_sun&amp;campaignPlacement=article\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u2018Red alert\u2019: 38,573 landlords sound the alarm<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"U47816752688WPb\">\n<p>\t\tKmart chief commercial officer Callum Smith said the store would help the retailer bring more of its home range into a physical store and better understand how customers wanted to shop it.<\/p>\n<p id=\"U18067023360xHl\">\u201cK Home at Box Hill South gives us the opportunity to bring more of our home range into store and better understand how customers want to shop it,\u201d Mr Smith said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"U38476435500sng\">\u201cThe space has been designed differently from a traditional Kmart store, with a more immersive home environment, curated displays and room-based inspiration to help customers explore the range in a more intuitive way.<\/p>\n<p id=\"U78410184421FMR\">\u201cCustomers have embraced Kmart\u2019s home range for many years, and we\u2019ve continued to grow our furniture offer as customer demand has grown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83055\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/capi_dd0c83cd3716d2999eb93b7c3123de41_133372b99e6cdeae94328ba4ec054021-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-capiid=\"133372b99e6cdeae94328ba4ec054021\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83055\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-83055\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kmart\u2019s K Home concept will bring more furniture and larger homewares into a physical store, with many products not available from regular Kmart outlets. Picture: Kmart<\/p>\n<p> Mr Smith said value was central to the new format.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a time when value matters more than ever, this trial is about helping Australian families create a home they love at a price they can afford,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Colliers commercial agent Jake Beckwith said K Home was more likely to compete with Ikea, Amart Furniture and Freedom than Spotlight, which was more focused on linen, curtains and traditional homewares.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely, Kmart\u2019s got their own iconic brand that they work with, and Anko is a bit of a cult figure,\u201d Mr Beckwith said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone looks for those Kmart hacks online, so I think they\u2019ve definitely got a big target audience that they can capture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83056\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/capi_dd0c83cd3716d2999eb93b7c3123de41_133ddafc62eb4363982b2a590b46c7c4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-capiid=\"133ddafc62eb4363982b2a590b46c7c4\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83056\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-83056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">K Home has been designed with curated displays and room-based inspiration to help shoppers furnish their homes without paying premium furniture prices. Picture: Kmart<\/p>\n<p>Mr Beckwith said Kmart\u2019s ability to refresh products quickly and pick the right locations would be critical if the concept expanded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re a really good retailer, a really powerful retailer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve got a strong brand behind them with Anko and they\u2019re able to refresh the product line continuously and keep up with trends pretty quickly and swiftly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re very well versed in the property sphere, so they know their target locations and making sure that they\u2019re just in front of the right people and the right eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Colliers commercial agent said the smaller K Home format could give Kmart more flexibility than a traditional department store.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing able to be more nimble, these K Homes are able to go into a lot smaller spaces than a typical Kmart would,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt allows them to plug the gaps in the network that they otherwise wouldn\u2019t have been able to find.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83057\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/capi_dd0c83cd3716d2999eb93b7c3123de41_fc730fa3f245215647b044b9d0ad221c.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-capiid=\"fc730fa3f245215647b044b9d0ad221c\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83057\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-83057\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vanta Advisory buyers agent Alex Groh said Kmart\u2019s new K Home format would need to feel different from a regular store while keeping the pulling power of the Kmart brand. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n<p>Vanta Advisory buyers agent Alex Groh said the concept was a smart way to draw shoppers into a physical retail destination at a time when large-format retailers were battling for foot traffic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s often the biggest struggle that a lot of large-format retail businesses or bulky-goods businesses have. It is getting people there,\u201d Mr Groh said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that once people are there, they do spend money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s a great way to get them in, a great way to get them looking into bigger-ticket items and buying the ancillary items they generally sell as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Groh said K Home needed to feel different from a regular Kmart while still leaning on the parent brand\u2019s pulling power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can\u2019t lose the Kmart brand entirely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if it is going to be a unique store, then it has to differentiate itself from the others to attract people to actually go there and not just shop at a regular Kmart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83058\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/capi_dd0c83cd3716d2999eb93b7c3123de41_50c995f45910dc54f0e6eb6a1c93613e-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-capiid=\"50c995f45910dc54f0e6eb6a1c93613e\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83058\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-83058\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new K Home store at Box Hill South will trial a more immersive showroom-style layout as Kmart pushes further into furniture and homewares. Picture: Kmart<\/p>\n<p>He said the concept would be tested in a competitive furniture market, with discretionary spending still under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got brands that have been around for a long time, your Focus on Furniture, your Nick Scalis,\u201d Mr Groh said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut where they may differentiate themselves is bringing the typical Kmart experience and adding that furniture as a layer on top to draw people in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsletters.news.com.au\/heraldsun\" title=\"www.newsletters.news.com.au\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here <\/a>to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n<p>MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/real-estate\/commercial\/adrian-portelli-reveals-how-drink-sales-at-one-store-rival-752-7elevens\/news-story\/6e666fe4005aee8af3b36c2989251f24?campaignType=external&amp;campaignChannel=syndication&amp;campaignName=ncacont&amp;campaignContent=&amp;campaignSource=herald_sun&amp;campaignPlacement=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Portelli\u2019s wild 22pc flex against 7-Eleven <br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/real-estate\/commercial\/el-jannah-denies-1bn-sale-confirms-14-victorian-restaurants\/news-story\/c1b6981f43224754e8485634a178b8eb?campaignType=external&amp;campaignChannel=syndication&amp;campaignName=ncacont&amp;campaignContent=&amp;campaignSource=herald_sun&amp;campaignPlacement=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">200 Aus stores: El Jannah denies sad rumour<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/real-estate\/commercial\/harvey-norman-to-anchor-huge-new-wangaratta-shopping-precinct\/news-story\/8ba82c08a7947461e81778f9671dc668?campaignType=external&amp;campaignChannel=syndication&amp;campaignName=ncacont&amp;campaignContent=&amp;campaignSource=herald_sun&amp;campaignPlacement=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New Vic retail hub\u2019s plan to stop $277m spending leak<\/a><\/p>\n<p>david.bonaddio@news.com.au<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kmart is opening its first standalone K Home store at Box Hill South in Melbourne\u2019s east, in a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-709799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}