Target spotlights Glen Powell and Smash Kitchen in pantry push

Target is using Glen Powell’s Smash Kitchen to do more than add another name to the shelf. The May 19 feature put an actor, producer and storyteller at the center of a pantry push that fits Target’s long-running formula: make basic grocery feel current, then translate that cultural pull into traffic, basket size and a cleaner store story.

That matters on the floor, where partnerships like this rarely stay in marketing. A brand spotlight can ripple into planograms, shelf labels, promo cadence, endcaps, guest questions and cross-merchandising with meal solutions and wellness baskets. For store leaders and team members, the work is not just about stocking another condiment. It is about keeping the aisle polished while the assortment shifts and making sure the brand shows up in a way that feels intentional, not random.

Target has been unusually explicit that merchandising is now a core growth priority under chief executive Michael Fiddelke. When the company named Cara Sylvester chief merchandising officer on Feb. 10, it said she would strengthen and expand Target’s authority through merchandising capabilities, product development, assortment design and partner collaborations. That language points to a tighter link between what Target sells and how it wants stores to feel, especially in categories where presentation can drive trips.

The timing also fits Target’s broader reset. On March 3, the company said it expected to return to growth in 2026 after a 1.7% sales decline between 2024 and 2025. Food and beverage was one of the categories that delivered net sales growth in the quarter, and it remains Target’s largest merchandising segment by revenue, at about $24.14 billion in 2025, according to a retail analysis citing the company’s results. In a business where food can pull shoppers in for something as simple as ketchup, the pantry aisle has become strategic real estate.

Smash Kitchen arrived on the scene in April 2025 at Walmart nationwide as an exclusive organic condiment line, starting with ketchup, yellow mustard, mayonnaise and BBQ sauce. The brand later expanded into cooking oils, and its site now lists snacks as well. Target said its own site now carries Smash Kitchen and that shoppers can get it through Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup, a sign that the partnership has moved beyond a profile and into real assortment execution.

For Target workers, that means a celebrity tie-in is really a merchandising test. If the company can turn Glen Powell’s brand into an in-store pantry story that feels fresh, shoppable and easy to find, it reinforces the same old Target playbook with a sharper edge: cultural relevance at shelf level, where traffic and execution meet.